Briefing / Improving the quality of source data for costing in acute and community services - guidance paper

Costing practitioners require accurate data from clinical and operational feeder systems to support the costing process. No matter how detailed and accurate costing methodologies are, if the activity data used to inform them is inaccurate, this will lead to inaccurate costing data. This guidance paper suggests ways in which costing practitioners and informatics colleagues can work with others in their organisation to achieve improved data quality. Although the guidance paper has been produced by the HFMA Acute and Community Costing Practitioner Groups, much of the good practice described is also relevant to mental health services.