An increase in the convergence of medical services toward specialized hospitals with high case numbers as well as the effects on quality of care are often assumed to be the result of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs; case-based lump-sum reimbursement). Estimates of the extent to which these effects occur in emergency diagnoses are not available.
Institut für Gesundheitsökonomie und Klinische Epidemiologie (IGKE), Klinikum der Universität zu Köln (AöR), 50935 Köln, Deutschland. thomas.rath@uk-koeln.de
