The impacts of diagnosis-intervention packet payment on inpatient medical costs for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors: evidence from a retrospective study in China

Despite a reduction in median inpatient medical costs following the implementation of the DIP payment, departments treating HM patients continue to experience financial losses due to costs exceeding the payment standard. These findings highlight the need to refine DIP payment standards to better account for clinical complexity and technological advancements. Future reforms should aim to improve alignment between payments and actual care needs to ensure financial sustainability and equity. However, this study is limited by its single-center design and lack of control for potential confounders. Broader multi-center studies with more detailed clinical data are needed to validate and extend these findings.