Optimize your financing with mandatory indicators
The decree of August 5, 2025, significantly changes the methods used to calculate the IFAQ (Financial Incentive for Quality Improvement) grant. For healthcare institutions, mastering these indicators is now crucial to optimizing their funding and promoting their efforts in terms of quality and safety of care. In this article, SafeTeam Academy presents all the mandatory indicators and strategies for maximizing your quality grant.
What is IFAQ funding?
The IFAQ grant is an additional financial package allocated to healthcare institutions based on their performance in terms of quality and safety indicators. Established by Article L. 162-23-15 of the Social Security Code, it rewards institutions that meet or exceed the quality targets set by the health authorities.
For 2025, the terms and conditions have been updated to include new sectors of activity and strengthen certain evaluation criteria.
The 5 categories of IFAQ indicators
The mandatory indicators for calculating the IFAQ allocation are divided into five main thematic categories:
1. Quality of care as perceived by patients
This category assesses patient satisfaction and experience through three key indicators:
• Satisfaction of patients hospitalized for more than 48 hours in acute care – Quality target: 77.3/100. Applies to facilities with at least 500 target patients (and less than 75% of the population aged over 75).
•Patient satisfaction in outpatient surgery – Quality target: 79.7/100. Same thresholds for mandatory data collection.
• Satisfaction of patients hospitalized in SMR – Quality target: 76.6/100. Applicable to medical and rehabilitation facilities with at least 500 target patients.
💡Key point: These e-Satis-type indicators are fully weighted in the IFAQ calculation and are publicly disclosed. They represent a major reputational issue for your institution.
2. Quality of clinical care
This category includes indicators targeted by sector of activity:
•In psychiatry: Cardiovascular and metabolicassessment in adult patients (target: 80/100) and identification of addictions with offers of help to quit (target: 80/100). Mandatory threshold: at least 31 target stays.
•In HAD: Patient recordkeeping (target: 80/100, at least 31 target stays)
•In SMR: Careplan and life plan (target: 80/100, at least 31 target stays)
•In elective surgery: Thromboembolicevents after total knee and hip replacement (threshold: at least 10 target stays). These indicators are weighted down with a coefficient of 0.25.
⚠️ Warning: Indicators for thromboembolic events and surgical site infections are calculated based on PMSI data from 2023 and are underweighted (coefficient 0.25). Their impact on IFAQ is therefore less significant.
3. Quality of care coordination
These indicators assess the smoothness of the patient journey and the exchange of information:
• DMP (Shared Medical Record) data entry: Mandatoryindicator for all sectors (MCO, HAD, SMR, dialysis). Quality target: 50%.
•Use of secure health messaging (SHM): Same scope of application, target: 50%
New for 2025: For 2025, these two digital indicators will benefit from an exceptional provision. Each eligible establishment will be awarded the maximum score, as the quality target will be deemed to have been automatically achieved. Remuneration will therefore be automatic on this criterion for this transition year.
•Outpatient surgery: Quality of the discharge letter (target: 80/100, at least 31 target stays)
• HAD: Coordination of care (target: 80/100, at least 31 target stays)
4. Performance of healthcare organization
This category includes only one indicator specific to psychiatry: the measurement of long-term full-time hospitalizations in voluntary care. Calculated using RIM-P data from 2023, it concerns establishments with at least 100 target stays and follows a specific calculation rule defined in Article 9 of the decree of December 20, 2024.
5. Quality of practices in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections
The fight against nosocomial infections is assessed by:
• Good practices for additional precautions: In MCO, target: 80%, at least 10 target stays
• Measurement of surgical site infections: After total hip and knee replacement (threshold: 10 target stays). Weighted down with a coefficient of 0.25.
Certification: the mandatory cross-cutting indicator
The certification level (v2014 or new certification) applies to all sectors of activity: MCO, HAD, SMR, dialysis, and psychiatry. This indicator follows a specific calculation rule defined in Article 10 of the decree of December 20, 2024, and is based on the latest available certification result.
Methods for calculating the IFAQ allocation
Two-tier compensation principle
The IFAQ grant is calculated based on two components:
• Remuneration based on level achieved: When the indicator result falls between the minimum remuneration threshold and the quality target, a proportional share is paid in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in Appendix 4.
• Performance-based remuneration: When an indicator shows measurable progress, an additional bonus is awarded to reward improvement compared to the previous campaign (see Appendix 5).
Weighting coefficients
Some indicators are underweighted to reflect their specific nature:
• Coefficient 0.25: Thromboembolicevents and surgical site infections following prosthetic replacement (MCO)
• Coefficient 0.50: DMP dataentry and use of secure messaging (MCO, HAD, SMR, dialysis)
Schedule and payment of the grant
The IFAQ grant is paid in monthly installments:
•At the beginning of the year: The fund to which the institution belongs pays a monthly installment equal to 1/12th of the previous year's allocation.
•After notification: The difference between the advance payments made and the actual amount set for the current year is adjusted in the following monthly payments.
Strategies for optimizing your IFAQ allocation
1. Identify your applicable indicators
The first step is to determine precisely which indicators apply to your institution based on your activity and your collection thresholds. Only those indicators for which you are required to collect data are taken into account in calculating your allocation.
2. Prioritize high-impact indicators
Not all indicators are created equal. Focus your efforts on:
• Patient satisfaction indicators (e-Satis): full weighting and high reputational impact
• Indicators with calculable evolution: double remuneration possible (level + progression)
• Indicators close to the quality target: a small effort can generate significant financial gains
3. Establish regular monitoring
Continuous improvement requires rigorous management. Organize quarterly monitoring committees, train your teams in best practices, and systematically analyze deviations from targets.
4. Anticipate regulatory changes
The decree of August 5, 2025 introduces several new features (particularly regarding digital indicators and the integration of GCS). Stay informed of updates via the websites of the HAS, ATIH, and the Ministry of Health.
Conclusion: SafeTeam Academy support
Mastering IFAQ indicators is a major financial challenge for healthcare institutions. Beyond the economic dimension, these indicators are a lever for continuous improvement in the quality and safety of care.
SafeTeam Academy supports healthcare institutions in optimizing their quality performance. Our training courses cover all IFAQ indicators, from patient satisfaction to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, including care pathway coordination and the use of digital tools.
Our experts help you identify priority areas for improvement and implement effective action plans based on feedback from caregivers in the field via video simulation and debriefings.
Official resources
• French National Authority for Health (HAS): Descriptivesheets for quality indicators –https://www.has-sante.fr
• ATIH: Technicaldocumentation IFAQ – https://www.atih.sante.fr/ifaq
• Ministry of Health: HOP'ENplatform for public results –https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/hopen
•Official Journal: Decree of August 5, 2025 (text 86 of August 7, 2025)
Keywords: IFAQ, quality allocation, health quality indicators, healthcare facilities, patient satisfaction, e-Satis, DMP, secure healthcare messaging, HAS certification, nosocomial infections, hip and knee replacements, HAD, SMR, psychiatry, outpatient surgery.
