,,Critical Care Financing Requires a Systemic Approach”

Maia Makharashvili: Critical Care Financing Requires a Systemic Approach

Financing critical care and intensive care services under the DRG system remains one of the key challenges facing the healthcare sector, according to Maia Makharashvili, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Healthcare Association.

According to her, the current financing model does not fully reflect the actual costs associated with treating critically ill patients. The issue is particularly significant for large multidisciplinary hospitals, which often receive a substantial number of severe and complex cases transferred from other medical institutions.

Makharashvili notes that addressing the issue requires more than simply revising existing tariffs. A comprehensive approach to critical care financing is needed, taking into account the required number of intensive care beds, hospital workload, and the high costs associated with complex medical services.

International experience shows that countries operating DRG-based financing systems often use additional mechanisms for critical care, including special coefficients or separate funding instruments.

These mechanisms help hospitals with higher patient complexity and heavier workloads maintain access to appropriate and high-quality care.

The Healthcare Association continues to actively discuss these issues with the Ministry of Health. According to Maia Makharashvili, recent discussions provide grounds for optimism that additional financial resources for critical care services may be reflected in the 2027 state budget.

However, she emphasizes that increasing funding alone will not be sufficient. It is equally important to define a clear model for the financing and management of critical care services and to ensure that differences in hospital workload and case complexity are properly reflected in reimbursement.

The Healthcare Association believes that establishing a sustainable financing model is essential to ensure that hospitals can continue providing uninterrupted, high-quality care to critically ill patients.