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Country profiles of health system responses to the crisis | Lithuania
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• Adjusted payment mechanisms in order to incentivize hospitals to provide
more outpatient and day care instead of inpatient services (2009).
• After a preparation phase (2009–2011), national case-based payment for
hospitals replaced with a DRG system (2012).
Overhead costs: restructuring the Ministry of Health and purchasing agencies
• Restructuring of the Ministry of Health and institutions accountable to it
included merger of seven public health institutions (2009–2010).
Provider infrastructure and capital investment
• Reorganization of the network of medical institutions into municipal,
regional and national levels (2009). Hospital mergers into larger legal entities
reduced the number of hospitals by 25% (from 81 to 61) (2009–2012). The
primary goal was to reduce the volume of inpatient services while directing
available funds to primary, outpatient and day care.
Priority setting or protocols to change access to treatments, coordination
of care and patterns of use
• Primary care, outpatient care and day care were prioritized to reduce inpatient
admissions. This is long-term policy with stepped up implementation since
2007 using financial incentives and payment mechanisms.
Waiting times
• No response reported.
Health promotion and prevention
• Increased financing for priority preventive services (e.g. cardiovascular
diseases) and cancer (breast, cervical, colon) screening programmes (2011
and 2012).