News / FDs protective over cost data

01 March 2013

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NHS provider finance directors see patient level cost data as commercially sensitive and do not believe the data should be shared with commissioners, a study has found.

Early findings from costing research by the universities of Bristol and Manchester, show that 85% of the directors taking part see the data as commercially sensitive. Just 2% had shared data with commissioners.

Two thirds of the sample of nearly 70 organisations already have patient costing systems, with a further 16% planning to implement this year. Data was mostly just used internally, though some organisations were involved in benchmarking groups.

Three quarters of directors said they were not using patient cost data to look at the relationship between cost and quality. In some cases this reflected a focus on improving accuracy, but many said they were moving towards making more use of data. One director said a forum was being set up for clinicians and managers to examine cost and quality information.

One of the biggest uses of patient cost data is to compare specialties as part of service line reporting.

Many organisations are also using patient cost data as part of a business case to support investment in a specialty. But almost all directors saw patient cost data as a means of engaging with clinicians on costing issues.

The survey is part of a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research as part of its health services and delivery research programme. The study is looking at current use and the potential for patient cost data.

The project lead at Manchester, professor Sue Llewellyn, acknowledged that early findings indicated a degree of protectiveness.

‘But the team hopes it will also find examples of data sharing for the benefit of the whole health economy,' she said.

Monitor published its final Approved costing guidance in February alongside revised Acute health clinical costing standards from the HFMA and the Department of Health’s reference cost collection guidance for 2012/13. 

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