maxwell stanley solution has improved the quality of coded data at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, to ensure the Trust is appropriately reimbursed for the activity undertaken but most importantly, to improve the accuracy of risk adjusted performance metrics to support planning of patient services.

Client Challenge

Improve coding quality to improve the accuracy of risk adjusted performance metrics, focusing on mortality data,  to support the Trust and CCG in understanding and planning services.  As a consequence of improving data quality, ensure the financial reimbursement to the Trust more accurately reflects the cost of delivering the activity.

maxwell stanley Methodology

The maxwell stanley solution was implemented, supported by our monthly Case Note Review service, to demonstrate that both data quality improvements and financial benefits were achievable with immediate effect.

Once embedded, the maxwell stanley solution formed the Trust’s clinical coding quality assurance and income improvement process; feeding directly into Executive Board Cost Improvement Programmes (CIPS).

Whilst our standard ‘monthly’ methodology (typically reviewing c. 200 case notes per month) was proving successful, the maxwell stanley solution was continually identifying further opportunity should additional resource be employed. The Trust therefore, requested we provide a more intensive service delivery, more than doubling the case notes reviewed each month.

As clinicians’ awareness of the data quality improvements driven by the Clinical Coding department increased, their confidence in the quality of the data and staff increased, as did their engagement. This enabled us to begin addressing source documentation issues consistently identified by the maxwell stanley solution, and we initiated our Clinician Validation process; where clinicians validate the inclusion of chronic co-morbidities that have not been recorded in their most recent episode of care but have been recorded during previous patient episodes.

Outcomes and Delivery

  • Accurate reporting of performance metrics (Mortality Rates and Casemix Complexity)
  • £1.2 million increased annual revenue (based on reviewing c. 8.5% of case notes)