Improving data quality is the first step in developing relevant and meaningful clinical metrics and the trusts' Clinical Coding Programme, with its focus on improving training for clinical coders, is resulting in higher standards. Running alongside the Clinical Coding Programme is the trusts' Patient Safety Programme where CHKS is playing a key role in delivering information and providing strategic advice.
Led by medical directors, associate medical directors and clinical leads, the objectives of the Patient Safety Programme are to monitor clinical metrics, to provide assurance on patient safety and to champion the drive for continuous improvement in quality of care.
Clinical coding information is delivered to the Patient Safety Programme through Signpost, the CHKS corporate reporting and clinical management system. With the support of CHKS consultants, the trust is then able to analyse and highlight areas of variation where data may be impacting on clinical metrics, for example in mortality, re-admissions, complications and misadventures.
CHKS is providing the trust with a mechanism to allow clinicians to see for themselves how episodes have been coded and how information has been presented to clinical coders to interpret into the coding process. Through the Patient Safety Programme, clinicians at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust can understand data quality and its impact on the outcomes presented in clinical metrics.
Dr Neil Martin, medical director at the trust says: "Patient safety is the highest priority for East Kent Hospitals University Trust. To be able to adequately judge progress in this area, measurement of harm events and mortality is essential. We have found significant advantage from being able to triangulate data from several sources - including CHKS - to give us the reassurance that we are moving in the right direction."
Dr Martin adds: "In particular, the Risk Adjusted Mortality Index (RAMI), which includes all deaths and excludes zero length of stay, is a powerful tool. We have also valued the expert analytical support offered by CHKS as this is not always easy to obtain in-house."
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