Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania

Romania faces high levels of amenable mortality reflecting, in part, the relatively low utilization rates of high-quality primary health care (PHC), particularly for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and treatment. Provider payment mechanisms do not reward the high-quality care provision and may incentivize bypassing of PHC for hospitals, exacerbating challenges presented by physical, financial, and social barriers to accessing essential care. This paper assesses provider payment mechanisms at the PHC level, by examining their design features and implementation arrangements, and exploring their implications for PHC performance in terms of access and quality of care. The authors conclude with policy recommendations to address the constraints identified. To increase the supply of preventative care and case management, the authors recommend that volume thresholds for fee-for-service payments reflect both the number of enrollees and physicians in a practice; laboratory tests required for case management be reduced in scope and their costs be reimbursed; and the law on health care reform be amended to enable the introduction of new payment mechanisms, such as performance-based payments. To expand the scope of PHC and strengthen care coordination with hospitals, periodic reviews by physician commissions should aim to expand the scope of PHC care in line with provisions in other European Union (EU) countries for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions; capitation payments should be adjusted for gender and historical service use to reduce incentive for over-referrals; and payment mechanisms that reward coordination of care, including bundled payments, should be introduced. To establish an enabling environment for provider payment reforms, health information systems should be strengthened by unifying diagnosis coding, establishing quality standards, and ensuring referral module functionality; payment reforms should be informed by extensive consultations with providers at all service delivery levels; and PHC spending should be increased to support higher reimbursement levels for providers and match expenditure levels in high-performing EU health systems.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chukwuma, Adanna, Comsa, Radu, Chen, Dorothee, Gong, Estelle
Format: Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2021-08
Subjects:UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, CARE COORDINATION, PROVIDER PAYMENT, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/936221628662346557/Provider-Payment-Reforms-for-Improved-Primary-Health-Care-in-Romania
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36189
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spelling dig-okr-10986361892021-08-25T05:10:33Z Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania Chukwuma, Adanna Comsa, Radu Chen, Dorothee Gong, Estelle UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE CARE COORDINATION PROVIDER PAYMENT PRIMARY HEALTH CARE Romania faces high levels of amenable mortality reflecting, in part, the relatively low utilization rates of high-quality primary health care (PHC), particularly for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and treatment. Provider payment mechanisms do not reward the high-quality care provision and may incentivize bypassing of PHC for hospitals, exacerbating challenges presented by physical, financial, and social barriers to accessing essential care. This paper assesses provider payment mechanisms at the PHC level, by examining their design features and implementation arrangements, and exploring their implications for PHC performance in terms of access and quality of care. The authors conclude with policy recommendations to address the constraints identified. To increase the supply of preventative care and case management, the authors recommend that volume thresholds for fee-for-service payments reflect both the number of enrollees and physicians in a practice; laboratory tests required for case management be reduced in scope and their costs be reimbursed; and the law on health care reform be amended to enable the introduction of new payment mechanisms, such as performance-based payments. To expand the scope of PHC and strengthen care coordination with hospitals, periodic reviews by physician commissions should aim to expand the scope of PHC care in line with provisions in other European Union (EU) countries for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions; capitation payments should be adjusted for gender and historical service use to reduce incentive for over-referrals; and payment mechanisms that reward coordination of care, including bundled payments, should be introduced. To establish an enabling environment for provider payment reforms, health information systems should be strengthened by unifying diagnosis coding, establishing quality standards, and ensuring referral module functionality; payment reforms should be informed by extensive consultations with providers at all service delivery levels; and PHC spending should be increased to support higher reimbursement levels for providers and match expenditure levels in high-performing EU health systems. 2021-08-24T14:19:28Z 2021-08-24T14:19:28Z 2021-08 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/936221628662346557/Provider-Payment-Reforms-for-Improved-Primary-Health-Care-in-Romania http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36189 English Health, Nutrition and Population Discussion Paper; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Working Paper Europe and Central Asia Romania
institution Banco Mundial
collection DSpace
country Estados Unidos
countrycode US
component Bibliográfico
access En linea
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tag biblioteca
region America del Norte
libraryname Biblioteca del Banco Mundial
language English
topic UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
CARE COORDINATION
PROVIDER PAYMENT
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
CARE COORDINATION
PROVIDER PAYMENT
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
spellingShingle UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
CARE COORDINATION
PROVIDER PAYMENT
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
CARE COORDINATION
PROVIDER PAYMENT
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Chukwuma, Adanna
Comsa, Radu
Chen, Dorothee
Gong, Estelle
Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
description Romania faces high levels of amenable mortality reflecting, in part, the relatively low utilization rates of high-quality primary health care (PHC), particularly for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and treatment. Provider payment mechanisms do not reward the high-quality care provision and may incentivize bypassing of PHC for hospitals, exacerbating challenges presented by physical, financial, and social barriers to accessing essential care. This paper assesses provider payment mechanisms at the PHC level, by examining their design features and implementation arrangements, and exploring their implications for PHC performance in terms of access and quality of care. The authors conclude with policy recommendations to address the constraints identified. To increase the supply of preventative care and case management, the authors recommend that volume thresholds for fee-for-service payments reflect both the number of enrollees and physicians in a practice; laboratory tests required for case management be reduced in scope and their costs be reimbursed; and the law on health care reform be amended to enable the introduction of new payment mechanisms, such as performance-based payments. To expand the scope of PHC and strengthen care coordination with hospitals, periodic reviews by physician commissions should aim to expand the scope of PHC care in line with provisions in other European Union (EU) countries for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions; capitation payments should be adjusted for gender and historical service use to reduce incentive for over-referrals; and payment mechanisms that reward coordination of care, including bundled payments, should be introduced. To establish an enabling environment for provider payment reforms, health information systems should be strengthened by unifying diagnosis coding, establishing quality standards, and ensuring referral module functionality; payment reforms should be informed by extensive consultations with providers at all service delivery levels; and PHC spending should be increased to support higher reimbursement levels for providers and match expenditure levels in high-performing EU health systems.
format Working Paper
topic_facet UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
CARE COORDINATION
PROVIDER PAYMENT
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
author Chukwuma, Adanna
Comsa, Radu
Chen, Dorothee
Gong, Estelle
author_facet Chukwuma, Adanna
Comsa, Radu
Chen, Dorothee
Gong, Estelle
author_sort Chukwuma, Adanna
title Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
title_short Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
title_full Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
title_fullStr Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
title_full_unstemmed Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
title_sort provider payment reforms for improved primary health care in romania
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2021-08
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/936221628662346557/Provider-Payment-Reforms-for-Improved-Primary-Health-Care-in-Romania
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36189
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AT gongestelle providerpaymentreformsforimprovedprimaryhealthcareinromania
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