APHM offers clinical data to support DRG system pricing rollout
KUALA LUMPUR: Member hospitals under the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) have offered to share clinical data essential for developing the Diagnostic-Related Group (DRG) pricing model.
In a statement today, APHM said its member hospitals will provide the relevant data to the Health and Finance Ministries, as this foundational data is currently unavailable and poses significant challenges to the timely and effective implementation of the DRG system.
"APHM is heartened to hear (Health Minister) Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad shared in his opening speech at the APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition 2025 today that a basic medical and takaful health insurance product will be introduced this year, while the DRG will be rolled out in phases.
"For the DRG or any DRG-type mechanism to work, accurate clinical data and a national electronic health record system are needed.
"At present, this foundational data is not yet available, which presents significant challenges for timely and effective DRG implementation," it said.
APHM said implementing the DRG system properly will take more than six months, as the data collection and analysis process is both complex and time-consuming.
The association also advocates allocating sufficient time and resources to ensure that the DRG model is well conceptualised, thoroughly piloted, and effectively executed to bring long-term improvements to Malaysia's healthcare system.
On April 18, Dzulkefly said the ministry plans to implement the DRG syste m in stages this year, starting with common illnesses.
On April 21, APHM's president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said the DRG pricing model presents a major challenge for Malaysia, primarily due to the lack of a universal healthcare financing system.
The DRG model is a billing system under which hospitals charge a fixed fee for treating specific illnesses or conditions, aimed at curbing medical inflation.
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