The Impact of DRGs on Health Care Workers and Their Clients

Abstract

Translation of hospital systems into an equation of dollars and pathology by basing reimbursement on diagnosis related groups (DRGs) forces a reversal of professional priorities that places cost containment first, raising dilemmas of cutting care and inadequate community resources for providers and clients. The impact of cost containment systems on health care professionals, particularly on social workers and nurses, includes the benefits of better documentation on hospital charts and greater awareness of the use of equipment and supplies, as well as the drawbacks of reduced long-term services for low income groups and increased stress on social workers and nurses pressured to provide optimal care for patients in a shorter amount of time. As patients requiring high tech medical interventions and patients needing seven-day-per-week nursing care are discharged, the need will arise for nurses trained at a higher level than ever before to function in an outpatient setting.