The impact of diagnosis-related groups on patient acuity, quality of care, and length of stay.

The consequences of the implementation of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) include increased patient acuity level, shortened length of stay, and decreased quality of nursing care. The findings of this study did not support the expected changes in patient acuity level or quality of nursing care. In this study, technological changes and organizational variables may have buffered the expected negative consequences of the implementation of DRGs in a group of cardiovascular surgery patients.