The Urban Institute has issued two new papers with background information on health care payment methodologies and the design of health care benefits packages.

The first paper, Payment Methods: How They Work, describes nine payment methodologies:

  • fee schedules
  • primary care capitation
  • per diem payments to hospitals for inpatient visits
  • DRG-based payments to hospitals for inpatient visits
  • global budgeting for hospitals
  • bundled payments
  • global capitation for organizations
  • shared savings
  • pay for performance

The second paper, Benefit Designs: How They Work, explains seven different types of benefit designs:

  • value-based design
  • high-deductible health plans
  • tiered networks
  • narrow networks
  • reference pricing
  • centers of excellence
  • benefit design for alternative sites of care

urban institute 2A third paper, Matching Payment Methods with Benefit Designs to Support Delivery Reforms, describes how to match benefit designs with payment methods.

Go here to find Payment Methods: How They Work.

Go here to find Benefit Designs: How They Work.

And go here to find Matching Payment Methods with Benefit Designs to Support Delivery Reforms.