Transparent data
The Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework could capitalise on a Healthcode initiative to improve information accuracy and transparency.
The company’s Fiona Booth, who headed the IHPN’s precursor, said: ‘Healthcode has developed The Private Practice Register (PPR) as a central source of reliable information about independent practitioners which is held on a single, secure platform that connects private medical insurers, practitioners and hospitals.
‘It now has more than 16,000 practitioner profiles, includes a wealth of information about their private and NHS practice and is being rolled out to hospitals to help them keep track of their consultant populations.
‘The MPAF builds on current processes within the independent sector and we hope the IHPN will make the most of available technology. The PPR offers strong foundations on which we can build better lines of communication, improved governance and quality assurance which is in the interests of stakeholders and patients.’
Cheaper defence cover
Adrian Stevenson, chief executive officer at Independent Care, said of the framework: ‘One of the benefits should be that medical malpractice underwriters will be able to price their premiums more competitively on the basis that the framework will manage risks more consistently and effectively and increase the volume of members covered by an industry-wide policy. Some of the savings could be passed onto consultants and to the operators.’