Subproject B (Law)

The researcher team at the Institute for Bio- and Medical Ethics at the University of Basel will provide a critical and systematic analysis of the legal questions related to the Swisswide implementation of DRGs, related to issues such as the right to health care and nondiscrimination. The theoretical part will be followed by an empirical investigation of impact of the legal changes in the Federal Law on Health Insurance that provided the basis for the implementation of the DRGs (qualitative interviews). This part explores how in practice wrongly and rightly perceived legal norms influence attitudes of hospital managers with respect to the protection of fundamental rights of patients and their own interests to avoid liability suits and financial losses.