Doctors’ data to be issued by default

On 10 September,2024 | In Features

Publishing consultants’ activity data.

The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) works to support consultants and hospitals to comply with its requirements under the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order as it looks to make the market more transparent and inform patient choice. Anne Coyne reports.

PHIN is introducing a process known as ‘presumed publication’ from the end of this month –  September 2024 – in a bid to increase the amount of available data to meet its goals. 

This is in line with its Strategic Roadmap and Plan agreed by the Competition and Markets Auth­ority (CMA) and private healthcare sector in the summer of 2022. 

As outlined in the plan, ‘presumed publication’ is one of the key enablers to improve the volume and accuracy of incoming data and ensure successful implementation of the Private Health Market Investigation Order. 

This will mark a step-change in the information provided to patients and inform choices.

The data regarding consultants’ practice is supplied by hospitals and it is essential for that data to be accurate to reliably inform patients’ decisions about their treatment.

Since 2017, consultants have been invited to provide PHIN with information about their fees and also to engage with the data submitted by hospitals to ensure it accurately reflects their practice. 

If they notice any issues, there is a process for hospitals to improve data quality. 

New system

Until now, no activity data has been published on the website unless consultants have verified it. This process will be changing slightly later in the year with ‘presumed publication’. 

Consultants will continue to be invited to verify data about their practice, but activity data will be published automatically if they do not engage with the information or raise any issues with it. 

They will, of course, continue to be able to remove data from publication if they find issues later. 

PHIN will also continue to apply what is called Small Numbers Suppression and will not publish data where seven or fewer episodes of a procedure has been performed.

Working together

The implementation of the new process comes after collaboration with consultants’ representative bodies and private healthcare providers to ensure the right processes are in place to correct and improve the private activity data submitted. 

PHIN has also been contacting consultants through various channels to inform them of the impending change. 

The resulting ability to publish basic activity measures – volume and length of stay – at consultant level will lay the foundation for publication of more complex measures. 

PHIN receives private data at least quarterly from hospitals. The data is refreshed on the website in April, June, September and December. 

Publishing consultant activity

PHIN and stakeholders in the sector recognise the importance of being able to publish consultant activity volumes on a whole-practice basis. This remains a key component of the presumed publication process. 

It acknowledges that data quality issues need to be considered and mitigated where possible and has developed tools within its portal to allow consultants to exclude erroneous data. 

It is also exploring the ability for consultants to self-declare their NHS activity volumes. 

PHIN is also continuing to explore the utility of using Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data to determine consultant-level activity in the NHS.

When presumed publication is introduced – and as is currently the case – consultants who have verified their activity data (volume of procedures performed and average length of stay) will continue to have this information published on PHIN’s website. 

The new process means that, in addition, should a consultant not verify their data nor raise any data issues, PHIN will publish consultant data that has been submitted on the basis it is complete and accurate. 

This will also help to raise compliance levels with the Order and reduce the need for the CMA to take enforcement action. 

Data issues

PHIN is committed to high-quality data and if a consultant raises an issue relating to the episode data that has been submitted by the private hospitals or private patient units where they work, information regarding these episodes will not be published.

Consultants may request PHIN to revoke any data published, but this will be on the basis that the specific issues regarding an episode are identified and raised using the processes available on the PHIN portal.

It is important that episode data used to calculate Order measures is accurate and that data appearing about a consultant reflects that consultant’s practice. 

When presumed publication is implemented, PHIN will encourage hospitals and consultants to resolve these as quickly as possible and, exceptionally, within a 12-month period. 

Consultants will be notified when a query has been actioned and they have the option to accept the resolution or dispute the outcome.

Any query that has not been reviewed by a consultant or hospital within 18 months will be archived as the episode will no longer contribute toward the calculation of measures. 

Nominating a delegate 

Consultants have the option to nominate a delegate to undertake activities on their behalf on the portal. Consultants are responsible for any activities a delegate undertakes.

Steps to nominate a delegate:

1. Once in the portal, click on the ‘cog wheel’ at the top right of the screen (red circle in the image below). 

2. Click on ‘add user’. 

3. Read and accept terms of nominating a delegate.

4. Complete delegate account and click ‘save’.

Help is at hand

The PHIN Consultant Services Team will host virtual sessions to support consultants and their delegates with any questions or process issues.

Anne Coyne (right) is consultant services manager at the Private Health­care Information Network (PHIN)