InEK

What InEK does

InEK (Institut für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus GmbH) is the German federal institute legally mandated to develop, maintain, and operate the country's hospital reimbursement systems. Established under §17b and §17d of the Krankenhausfinanzierungsgesetz (KHG) and operating from Siegburg, Germany, InEK administers the aG-DRG-System for acute-care inpatient reimbursement and the PEPP-Entgeltsystem (Pauschaliertes Entgeltsystem Psychiatrie und Psychosomatik) for psychiatric and psychosomatic care. Its core technology consists of certified Grouper software that classifies patient cases into DRG/PEPP categories based on diagnoses, procedures, and clinical data, supported by the InEK Datenportal for mandatory data submission, the G-DRG Report-Browser and PEPP-Browser for data analysis, and a Leistungsgruppen-Grouper introduced under the Krankenhaustransparenzgesetz (KHTG) for service-group assignment.

The institution's products and services extend beyond grouper software to the full regulatory apparatus of German hospital payment: annual Fallpauschalen-Katalog and PEPP-Entgeltkatalog catalogs, Definitionshandbücher, Kodierrichtlinien including DKR-Psych, the Kalkulationshandbuch for cost calculation, Pflegepersonaluntergrenzen (nursing staff minimum) frameworks, Pflegebudget negotiation systems, Investitionsbewertungsrelationen, the Schlichtungsausschuss arbitration process under §19 KHG, and the NUB-Anfrageverfahren for new examination and treatment methods. All approximately 1,700 German hospitals are legally required to participate in data collection, cost calculation, and use of these systems; statutory and private health insurance funds (Krankenkassen) are the payer-side counterparties.

InEK does not operate a commercial revenue model. The institution is a private limited company (GmbH) under German law but is funded through statutory mechanisms embedded in the German hospital financing system rather than product sales; financial details are not publicly disclosed and pricing information is not applicable. The sole Managing Director is Dr. Frank Heimig, with a small leadership group covering HR/Legal and Administration. Distribution of grouper software occurs through certified third-party vendors, and the official website (g-drg.de) plus the Datenportal serve as the primary information channels. The organization is GDPR-compliant, holds no disclosed patents, and has no M&A, venture capital, or partnership activity on record.

Name

InEK

Legal name

Institut für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus GmbH (InEK)

Website

https://g-drg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

InEK is the German federal institute that develops and administers the aG-DRG and PEPP hospital reimbursement systems under the Krankenhausfinanzierungsgesetz, serving all approximately 1,700 German hospitals and statutory health insurance funds through grouper software, annual catalogs, and mandatory data collection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Reimbursement Systems

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAAAFAD

Medical Coding, Billing & Clinical Documentation Support

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/Claims Processing & Adjudication Support

SECONDARYHLAFAAAO

Hospital Shared Services, GPOs & System Support Organizations

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Acute Care Hospitals & Health Systems

Keywords

• Hospital reimbursement systems
• DRG classification software
• Medical coding guidelines
• Healthcare payment systems
• Hospital cost calculation

Headquarters

HQ city

Siegburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

InEK develops and administers the German DRG (aG-DRG) hospital reimbursement system and the PEPP flat-rate payment system for psychiatric and psychosomatic care under federal statutory mandate. Its offerings include certified grouper software for case classification, annual reimbursement catalogs and definitions handbooks, coding guidelines, the InEK Datenportal for mandatory hospital data submission, performance-group grouper software under the KHTG, and browser tools for hospital performance data analysis.

Product overview

InEK GmbH operates the German hospital payment (DRG) system as a comprehensive regulatory infrastructure. The core offering consists of the aG-DRG-System (German Diagnosis Related Groups) and PEPP-Entgeltsystem (psychiatry payment system), supplemented by the InEK Datenportal for data submission, Leistungsgruppen-Grouper for hospital transparency classification, and supporting tools including G-DRG Report-Browser and PEPP-Browser for data analysis. Additional regulatory systems cover Pflegepersonaluntergrenzen (nursing staff requirements), Pflegebudget (nursing budget), Investitionsbewertungsrelationen (investment valuations), and processes for Schlichtungsausschuss (arbitration) and NUB-Anfrageverfahren (new methods inquiry). The system publishes annual catalogs, definitions manuals, and grouper software for hospital reimbursement classification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• G-DRG System (aG-DRG-System) The German Diagnosis Related Groups system for hospital reimbursement, including the Fallpauschalen-Katalog (DRG catalog), Definitionshandbuch (definitions manual), certified Grouper software for case classification, Kodierrichtlinien (coding guidelines), and Abrechnungsbestimmungen (billing regulations). Used by all German hospitals for acute-care inpatient reimbursement.
• PEPP-Entgeltsystem (Psychiatry Payment System) Pauschaliertes Entgeltsystem für Psychiatrie und Psychosomatik (flat-rate payment system for psychiatric and psychosomatic care), including the PEPP-Entgeltkatalog, Definitionshandbuch, certified Grouper software, and DKR-Psych coding guidelines. Used by psychiatric and psychosomatic hospitals and departments in Germany.
• InEK Datenportal Web-based data portal where hospitals submit mandatory data submissions according to §21 KHEntgG, including nursing staff limits (Pflegepersonaluntergrenzen), §21 Abs. 3b KHEntgG data delivery, and quarterly reporting.
• Leistungsgruppen-Grouper gemäß KHTG Performance groups grouper software according to the Krankenhaustransparenzgesetz (KHTG) for assigning hospitals to performance groups, with associated definitions handbook. Used to classify German hospitals into service-group categories under the Hospital Transparency Act.
• G-DRG Report-Browser Browser tool for accessing and analyzing G-DRG system data and hospital cost calculations, with annual versions from 2020-2026. Used by hospitals, researchers, and health insurance funds for performance benchmarking and analysis.
• PEPP-Browser Browser tool for accessing and analyzing PEPP (psychiatry/psychosomatics) system data, available for data years 2018-2026. Used for psychiatric hospital performance data analysis.
• Kalkulationssystem (Hospital Cost Calculation System) Hospital cost calculation system including the Kalkulationshandbuch (calculation manual), documents for Kalkulationskrankenhäuser (calculation hospitals), and tools for DRG and psychiatry cost calculations. Used by participating German hospitals to calculate and submit cost data for annual DRG system updates.
• Pflegebudget-System (Nursing Budget System) System for nursing budget negotiations and agreements between hospitals and health insurance funds, with modules covering budget years 2020-2025+. Used by German hospitals and payers for nursing-care budget reconciliation outside the DRG system.
• Investitionsbewertungsrelationen (IBR) Investment valuation relations system for DRG and psychiatric payment areas, published annually with catalog and development reports. Used to standardize hospital investment-cost reimbursements.
• Pflegepersonaluntergrenzen (PpUGV) Nursing staff minimum requirements system for patient-sensitive hospital areas, including data portal submission, PpUG-Nachweis-Vereinbarung, and Sanktions-Vereinbarung. Used by German hospitals to comply with mandatory nursing-staff lower limits.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IQWiG (Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen): IQWiG is a German federal institute that evaluates medical procedures and health economic evidence, operating under similar statutory independence as InEK. Both are Cologne/Bonn-area German health technology bodies serving federal regulatory functions.
• Zi (Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung): Zi is a German research institute supporting statutory health insurance physicians with data, analytics, and evaluation. It is comparable to InEK as a federally-relevant German healthcare data and research organization, though focused on ambulatory rather than inpatient care.
• SwissDRG AG: SwissDRG AG operates the Swiss diagnosis-related groups hospital reimbursement system, which is structurally derived from the German G-DRG. It performs the same core function as InEK for Switzerland, making it the most direct international peer.

Regional players

• Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA, Australia): IHPA is the Australian government agency that determines the national efficient price and Australian Refined DRG (AR-DRG) system. The aG-DRG system operated by InEK is described as 'australianised German DRG,' establishing a direct technical lineage with IHPA.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): NICE is the UK body that provides national guidance and standards on healthcare quality, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. While it is broader in scope than InEK, it is comparable as a state-mandated institute that informs reimbursement and clinical decision-making.
• Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA): G-BA is the highest decision-making body in the German self-government healthcare system and works in close coordination with InEK on hospital benefit catalog decisions, quality assurance, and reimbursement rules. It is a peer in German healthcare regulation and policy.
• NHS England (HRG / National Casemix Office): NHS England operates Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs) for hospital reimbursement in England, a casemix classification system with a similar operational role to G-DRG. Comparable as a national health system body that develops and maintains hospital grouping methodology.

Emerging players

• NordDRG: NordDRG is a Nordic collaboration that develops and maintains DRG systems for several Scandinavian countries. It is comparable to InEK as a multi-country DRG development body and is technically related to the G-DRG lineage.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inek-ggmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about InEK