Iceland Health is hosting a conference on the development of payment systems and the financing of health services in health systems. The aim of the conference is to strengthen a common understanding of different payment methods in health care and to discuss how the financing of the health care system can be developed in the future.

Special emphasis is placed on the DRG (Diagnosis Related Groups) payment system, which has been used to finance hospital services in Iceland for years, as well as new and more developed payment methods based on the quality, results and needs of patients.

The experience of other countries, the development of DRG systems, cost analysis, incentives in health systems and new ways of financing health services will be discussed.

"It is important that Iceland closely follows the development of international payment systems and learns from the experience of other countries. The aim of the conference is to create a forum for professional discussion on the financing of health services so that we can increase transparency and use funds in the best possible way for the benefit of patients and society as a whole." says Sigurður H. Helgason, CEO of Iceland Health.

Among the speakers are four international experts who have extensive experience in the design, implementation and development of payment systems in healthcare.

• Jeff Hatcher is the Director of Analytics and Data Science at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

• Kristiina Kahur is the CEO of Nordic Casemix Centre. She is a doctor with postgraduate education in public health.

• Kristin Dahlen is a project manager at the Norwegian Directorate of Health and an expert in activity- and performance-based financing of health services.

• Eileen Robertson is a health economist with extensive experience in health care policy, financing, and development in the UK and Australia.

The conference is intended for a broad group of participants and focuses on policy-making, international experience and future vision for the Icelandic healthcare system, possible development, development and future vision for Icelandic DRG funding.

The conference will take place at the Hilton Reykjavík Nordica and will be attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Directorate of Health, Landspítali University Hospital, health institutions around the country, the Association of Welfare Service Companies, Iceland Health and other key players in the Icelandic health care system.