In recent decades, hospitals in Germany have not seen any changes that have so fundamentally altered reimbursement in the inpatient sector as the current switch to a per-case flat rate system based on German-Diagnosis Related Groups (G-DRG system). This change affects the entire inpatient care sector, whether in university hospitals, main hospital departments or inpatient departments.
In this respect, this billing system has an enormous control effect on all bed-bearing departments.
The DRG system depends to a large extent on the correct assignment of coded diagnosis and procedure codes to the respective clinical treatment cases. These codes determine both the current billing of cases and the future further development of the DRG system in a system designed as a learning system. Without correct coding, it is therefore not possible to make performance-based mappings and further developments. This applies both to the individual DRGs and subspecialties of ophthalmology among themselves and in comparison to other specialties.
This coding guide therefore aims to contribute to “right coding”, i.e. to the correct and complete representation of services without inappropriate over- or undercoding. It was developed at the suggestion of the joint commission “DRG” of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) and the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA) and is intended to assist those working in main and affiliated departments with coding questions in their daily work. Of course, a constant further development in new editions is necessary, to which you are cordially invited to contribute via the mentioned contact addresses.