Surviving “Payment by Results”: A simple method of improving clinical coding in burn specialised services in the United Kingdom

Abstract Introduction Coding inpatient episodes plays an important role in determining the financial remuneration of a clinical service. Insufficient or incomplete data may have very significant consequences on its viability. We created a document that improves the coding process in our Burns Centre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Burns 2009-03, Vol.35 (2), p.232-236
Main Authors: Wallis, Katy L, Malic, Claudia C, Littlewood, Sonia L, Judkins, Keith, Phipps, Alan R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Burn Units - economics
Burn Units - statistics & numerical data
Burns
Burns - economics
Child
Child, Preschool
Critical Care
Economics
Female
Health expenditures
Hospital
Hospitalization - economics
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infant
Male
Medical Records - standards
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
National Health Programs - economics
Relative Value Scales
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
United Kingdom
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Introduction Coding inpatient episodes plays an important role in determining the financial remuneration of a clinical service. Insufficient or incomplete data may have very significant consequences on its viability. We created a document that improves the coding process in our Burns Centre. Materials and methods At Yorkshire Regional Burns Centre an inpatient summary sheet was designed to prospectively record and present essential information on a daily basis, for use in the coding process. The level of care was also recorded. A 3-month audit was conducted to assess the efficacy of the new forms. Results Forty-nine patients were admitted to the Burns Centre with a mean age of 27.6 years and TBSA ranging from 0.5% to 65%. The total stay in the Burns Centre was 758 days, of which 22% were at level B3–B5 and 39% at level B2. The use of the new discharge document identified potential income of about GB£ 500,000 at our local daily tariffs for high dependency and intensive care. Conclusion The new form is able to ensure a high quality of coding with a possible direct impact on the financial resources accrued for burn care.
ISSN:0305-4179
1879-1409
DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2008.06.008