Transcript Slide 1

The facts behind Practice Based Commissioning

Approx 1500 PBC clusters in England

Less than half have actively commissioned services

Less than two-thirds have an agreed commissioning plan
Currently there are significant variations between
PCTs and Practices in their understanding and
implementation of:

PBC

Information Provision

Data Validation

Support

Incentives
NHS Alliance opinion
“Practice-based commissioning cannot properly get off the ground until
commissioners have access to accurate, meaningful real time information”
Dr Michael Dixon Chair
NHSAlliance
Secondary Care Information Systems provided by PCTs
• Ardentia
• CHKS
• Dr Foster
• Midas
• CBSA
• Executive
Viewer
• PB Views
• MIS
• etc…
•
All re-present secondary data in a form which aids easier analysis, however,
they are complex and time consuming to obtain information.
•
They make reference to financial accountability but cannot provide data
that identifies the coding errors which currently maybe as high as 30%
(Source: National Association of Clinical Coders / Audit Commission)
Coding Issues
• There’s a 99% certainty that you are being wrongly charged for some
secondary care episodes for your Patients
• Exceeding your indicative budget is therefore inevitable
These issues are arising from interpretation of
650 codes in HRG V3.5 which will increase to
2000 codes with the launch of HRG V4 in early
2009
A West Midlands
Practice
The Audit Commission is
responsible for ensuring that
public money is spent
economically,
efficiently, and effectively to
achieve high quality services
for the public
Audit Commission Recommendations
All PCTs should :
Further develop commercial, legal and contracting skills,
identify gaps in line with developing World Class
Commissioning competencies

Adopt a robust yet proportionate approach to monitoring and
challenging provider activity and costs under contract, prioritising
investment in practice level information systems so that practices
can engage in the planning and monitoring of hospital activity

Focus on demand management (care and resource utilisation)
initiatives. Ensure that sufficient resources are devoted to these
initiatives
Reinforced by
the Department
of Health
Main Points from DH Letter
• ‘For PBC and commissioning in general to deliver their full potential,
accurate clinical coding is essential’
• ‘Where practices identify inaccuracies, PCTs should support and
encourage the improvement of data quality by Trusts and, where
inaccuracies are proved to be correct, PBC data and budget spends
should be corrected by PCTs.’
DH Commissioning Assurance Scheme
(For SHAs / PCTs)
• PCT Competency 10 Level 2
‘Data is accessible and used to monitor provider performance’
‘Monthly data from providers is no more than one month old’
Trusts and PCTs have been slow to engage these
recommendations believing that it will prove
confrontational and difficult to administer
Healthcare Financial
Management Association
Membership comprises all Trust
and PCT Financial Directors /
Senior Managers
Return of Fundholding?
Conservative Party Health Policy
‘The Conservatives also propose that the current policy of practice-based
commissioning be extended to allow primary care clinicians to hold ‘real’
budgets compared with the ‘notional’ budgets under current policy’
iQ BUDGET MANAGER
One Product – Two Vital Tasks
Validating Secondary Care Charges
which impact on Indicative and ‘Real’ Budgets
and
Analysing Demand Management Information to
support Preparation and Monitoring of
PBC Plans
Overview of key features of Budget Manager

The key to understanding and managing Charge Coding (HRG and
Clinic Codes)
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Delivers the HRG code and tariff by describing the patient condition
in ordinary terms
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The key word search will check patient condition against 160,000+
terms in Read Code V3.0 (all clinical systems use V2.0)
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Also automatically references OPCS and ICD10 to filter the
description
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System automatically displays the HRG and anticipated charge
based on the National Tariff. Local and Split Tariffs can also be
accommodated
Overview of key features of Budget Manager
Continued ….
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Enables referrals/discharges to be analysed against HRG, provider,
speciality, episode type, practitioner, patient, pathway, referral status
and cost etc
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Numerous reports can identify areas of concern e.g. GP referring
patterns, overcharging care providers, high incidence procedures,
high cost procedures, incorrect charges and the reasons behind
them etc.
Brief Demonstration of
iQ Budget Manager
Version 2.