NHS data quality leading to financial sloppiness

The errors have cropped up in the system used to identify how NHS trusts are paid for treatment, Payments by Results, and represent just under 5% of the whole £200 million payment spread.

 

The Commission says this is an ongoing problem, especially around the way some HRGs (health resource groups) are handling data; while Payments by Results data collection is as a while improving, for HRG that trend is actually reversing.

 

Problems seem commonest around the way info on clinically similar treatments judged to consumer a similar amount of resources are being collated.

 

This may be down to a recent move to new and more complex set of Health Resource Groups, known as HRG4.

 

In general medicine, trauma and orthopaedics, cardiology and paediatrics, it worries, as much as 5% was paid on the wrong HRG between 2007/08 and 2009/10.

 

In response, the Commission wants more regular internal audits on clinical coding and the quality of outpatient data, clinical coders to be well trained and follow national standards, clinicians to be engaged in improving the accuracy of inpatient and outpatient data up to date policies and procedures for data quality and
 source documentation to be of a good quality, accurate and readily accessible to those inputting data.

 

"We will work this year on specific data definition issues with the NHS and key partners to look at how these can be resolved,” it promises.

 

The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services “to deliver better outcomes for everyone”.