The use of valuations of healthcare services in other countries (basic benefits basket) in the tariffing process

The Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System is national institution supervised by Minister of Health. Agency is an advisory body in the reimbursement process. One of the Agency’s roles is setting a tariff for publicly funded healthcare services. Determining the cost of medical services is one of the most important conditions for valuating these tariffs. As in most European countries, the system of financing in-patient care in Poland is based on the Diagnosis Related Group system (DRG). DRG systems were created to increase efficiency in the use of available resources, and consequently to improve the quality of medical care. In order to compare the method and level of financing healthcare services with their equivalent abroad, the Agency analyzes information from other countries, especially those with GDP per capita similar to that of Poland. The Agency searches for patient group classification methods, payment methods, the shape of services and all factors affecting the valuation of services. The article describes the Polish inpatient services system against the background of solutions functioning in the world. The pricing process was presented, with particular emphasis on the process of obtaining data on foreign tariffs and their impact on the construction and pricing of healthcare services in Poland.