The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) series consists of country-based reviews that provide a detailed description of a health system and of reform
and policy initiatives in progress or under development in a specific country. The review has been produced by country experts of the Austrian Health Institute in collaboration with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. This analysis of the Austrian health system reviews recent developments in organization and governance, health financing, health care provision,
health reforms and health system performance. Two major reforms implemented in 2013 and 2017 are among the main issues today. The central aim of the reforms that put in place a new governance system (Target-Based Health Governance) was to strengthen coordination and cooperation between different levels of government and self-governing bodies by promoting joint planning, decision-making and financing. Yet despite these efforts, the Austrian health system remains complex and fragmented in its organizational and financial structure.