Interventional units win over managers on value

February 7, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Interventional units win over managers on value As hospitals in Europe adopt flat-rate reimbursement, administrators eye minimally invasive procedures Karen Sandrick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Persuading cash-strapped hospitals to commit resources for a clinical interventional radiology service may seem a hard sell. But European interventional radiologists can make a strong case by concentrating on economics, especially now that more and more hospitals in Europe will be adopting the flat-rate reimbursement system based on diagnosis-related groups used in the U.S. Although reimbursement systems differ widely across Europe, speakers at the 2007 Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe meeting agreed that DRGs, which are already in place in some countries, will be coming to others as soon as 2009 or 2010. Minimally invasive procedures are less expensive than open surgery and help reduce hospital stay. Keeping inpatient days to a minimum will be a major goal for hospitals operating under DRGs, said Dr. Christof Binkert, who operates an interventional radiology service at Kantonsspital Winterthur in Switzerland.

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