Some 16 hospitals across the State are to have their budgets cut by over €10 million this year for inefficiencies.
Figures obtained by The Irish Timesshow the hospital worst affected is Dublin's Tallaght hospital, which has been hit with a €2.1 million penalty. Two other hospitals have also each had their budgets cut by over €1 million. They are Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Our Lady's Hospital in Navan.
The amounts are deducted by the Department of Health under a system called "casemix", that penalises inefficient hospitals and rewards efficient ones. Factors taken into account include their throughput of patients and the cost of treating patients with similar conditions in different hospitals.
Money taken from inefficient hospitals is redistributed among more efficient ones. The gains and losses for hospitals under the casemix system are always calculated on the basis of their performance more than a year ago. Therefore, the latest adjustments are based on how hospitals performed in 2006.
Asked about its poor performance, a spokeswoman for Tallaght hospital said despite the adjustment, "the hospital performed exceptionally well in the top clinical groups. Indeed, the emergency department provided a positive variance". She added that the hospital's board initiated a programme during 2007 to review the cost base, which leads to a negative adjustment.
The hospital which is to gain most from the redistributed money this year is the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, which is to have its budget boosted by over €2 million. The hospital has been named as one of the most efficient hospitals under the casemix system each year for the past number of years.
Cork University Hospital, which also performed very well last year, has had €1.2 million added to its budget for next year.
Other hospitals to receive extra funding this year include Wexford General Hospital, which gets an extra €979,988; Beaumont Hospital which gets an extra €880,497, Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, which has €717,990 added to its budget and Cavan General Hospital, which gets an extra €716,098.
Adjustments to other hospitals' budgets are as follows: St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown (-€850,232); Sligo General Hospital (-€701,320); Mercy Hospital Cork (-€677,706); Tullamore General Hospital (-€602,971); Mallow General Hospital (-€571,234); Mayo General Hospital (-€431,500); National Maternity Hospital Holles Street (-€424,048); St Vincent's Hospital (-€400,321); St Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Cork (-€252,526); Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway (-€257,471); St James's Hospital (-€281,300); University College Hospital Galway (-€248,670); Temple Street (-€77,649); Waterford Regional Hospital (+€637,510); Louth County Hospital, Dundalk (+€518,753); St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny (+€483,013); South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, Cork (+€329,750); Rotunda hospital (+€310,277); Portlaoise General Hospital (+€287,597); St Nessan's Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, Limerick (+€243,304); Letterkenny General Hospital (+€227,747); Mater hospital (+€225,355); Tralee General Hospital (+€143,074); Coombe Women's Hospital (+€113,771); Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin (+€77,649), Limerick Regional Hospital (+€69,849) and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe (+€42,674).