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George Boulton. Linking Quality To Resource Allocation and Reward systems. Topics Covered. What is quality? Quality myths Financing to achieve policy aims Linking quality to a capitation system Joined-up implementation issues. Quality in Health Care.
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George Boulton Linking Quality To Resource Allocation and Reward systems
Topics Covered • What is quality? • Quality myths • Financing to achieve policy aims • Linking quality to a capitation system • Joined-up implementation issues Quality Conference 2008
Quality in Health Care • “It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm” – Florence Nightingale (1859) • “Conformance to requirements” - TQM definition – Philip Crosby ‘Quality Without Tears (1984) • “Doing the right things, right” - J. A. Muir Gray ‘Evidence-based Healthcare’ (1997) • Donabedian (1966) advocated the assessment of quality through 3 approaches: Structure, process and outcome Quality Conference 2008
Defining Quality in Health Care • Robert Maxwell Kings Fund, London (1984) identified 6 dimensions of quality: ACCESS: Geographical convenience, waiting time for appointment, hours of business, transport etc? EQUITY: Opportunity of access for equal need regardless racial, cultural and social factors RELEVANCE TO NEED: Over provision, gaps in services etc. SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY: Is the way in which the service is provided acceptable to the population served? EFFICIENCY: Are the services delivered as efficiently as possible within the resources available? EFFECTIVENESS: Do the services provided attain the intended benefits in for the heath of the population served? Quality Conference 2008
Quality Myths • Quality is separate from efficiency. Not so, quality is inextricably linked to efficiency e.g. TQM and DIRFT • Patients don’t understand quality. Not so, access to knowledge changing the doctor/patient relationship – the ‘intelligent’ patient • Quality is a `soft`, subjective issue. Not so, quality is as measurable as finance or activity • Quality is a system. Not so, it is a corporate culture, a mind set, a sub-routine as driving a car • Quality in health care is `accreditation`, `TQM`, `EBM`, `ISO 9001`, medical audit etc. Not so, these systems and approaches help develop and sustain a ‘quality’ culture. Quality Conference 2008
Quality Sustaining Systems • Law and regulation • Accreditation • Visiting and inspection • Licensing & re-licensing of professionals • Professional codes and standards • TQM (based on prevention and DIRFT) • CQI/Quality Assurance • Evidence-based health care • Medical Practice variation (MPV) • Contracting • Care pathways, clinical guidelines, clinical protocols, clinical algorithms • Patient surveys • Complaints systems Quality Conference 2008
Quality Sustaining Systems • Research and development • Health Technology Assessment (HTA) • Clinical governance • Clinical /medical/organizational audit • Patient-centered planning • Performance indicator systems • Risk management systems • ISO 9000, 9001,9002 etc. • Benchmarking • League tables • Star ratings – linked to accreditation • Continuous professional education and development • Contracting • Resource allocation and reward systems Quality Conference 2008
Policy Outcomes for Primary Health Care? • Improved community/population health status • Reduced avoidable (amenable) mortality • Improved quality of life for the chronically ill and disabled • Morbidity compression related to the elderly • Higher volume and levels of cases resolved in primary health care • High levels of uptake (population-based) of PHC and preventive services • Increased patient satisfaction Quality Conference 2008
Quality and its Link to Resource Allocation & Reward Systems • Capitation – a fixed sum per person paid in advance (usually 1 year) to a health care entity (e.g. DZ) for the provision of contracted health care services to an eligible person. • Capitation should be ‘risk adjusted’ for: • Population age structure • Gender structure • Health need differences (crude or standardised mortality rates • Poverty/social deprivation Quality Conference 2008
Capitation Reimbursement Systems • Capitation can operate at two levels: • As a resource allocation formula to communities, hospitals or to PHC facilities • As part of the reward system to individual physicians and teams Quality Conference 2008
Capitation Weaknesses • Capitation alone can produce low efficiency and effectiveness • It is often used in conjunction with complimentary and inter related financing streams: • Incentives for high quality or good practice • Rewards for high levels of performance • A typical resource allocation/reimbursement mechanism using capitation will often involve : Capitation + Incentive + Performance (85:15, 75:25, 60:40) Quality Conference 2008
Joined-up Quality Strategy • How to link quality initiatives, approaches and systems to the resource allocation system? • A major quality initiative in Serbia is the Book of Rules on Health Care Quality Indictors • Linkage can be achieved through: • Developments in the contracting process to include quality systems, processes and targets • Use of the incentive and performance components of the resource allocation system • Use of the reward system Quality Conference 2008
What Should the Financing System Support? • The development of the ‘Gatekeeper’ role • The integration of care (referral systems, care pathways, clinical networks, clinical protocols, care algorithms etc.) • Increased focus on health promotion and primary and secondary prevention systems • Emphasis on early identification, management and control of chronic disease and illness • Continuous quality improvement and innovation Quality Conference 2008
What Should the Financing System Support? • Increased focus on health maintenance and quality of life issues for the long term chronically sick • Evidence-based practice (appropriate antibiotic use, call and recall screening etc.) Compliance with best practice guidelines/protocols • Increased levels of community/patient satisfaction with PHC • Efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery Quality Conference 2008
Finance-linked Performance Examples • New Zealand is currently in the process of implementing capitation payment system and divides the incentive and performance components into: • Clinical performance issues • Process/capacity performance issues • Financial performance issues Quality Conference 2008
Examples : Clinical • Proportion of children fully vaccinated by x age from target population • Proportion of cervical smears in accordance with protocol from target population • Breast screening undertaken in accordance with protocol from target population • Inhaled corticosteroids – average inhaled doses • Ratio of metformin to sulphonylurea prescriptions • Investigation of thyroid function (TSH v T4) • Ratio ESR to CRP test ordering • Flu vaccinations for +65 from target population Quality Conference 2008
Examples : Process/capacity • Number/proportion of patients registered from catchment • Number/proportion of cases resolved in PHC • Emergency admissions to hospital for chronic conditions • Number of new patients attending for a new episode of treatment • Waiting times for treatment and in facilities against targets • Rate of blood pressure checking for over 40s compared to target population • Patient satisfaction (as measured by survey) • Introduction of audit systems Quality Conference 2008
Examples : Financial Performance • Compliance of activities, outputs to planned • Compliance of expenditure to budget • Pharmaceutical expenditure in comparison with benchmarks • Laboratory expenditure in comparison with benchmarks • Antibiotic prescribing patterns (1st gen/3rd gen) • Proportion of prescriptions expressed on a generic basis Quality Conference 2008
OECD Quality Indicators for Health Promotion, Prevention, PHC (HTP No. 16) Quality Conference 2008
Practical Implementation Issues • The urgent need for a population data base (registration) at DZ level to help shift from a curative to a preventive service • How to link existing quality assurance system (book of rules of Health Care Quality Indicators) to the financing system to avoid duplication of effort? • Convert averages to targets (top 25 percentile performance), rates of screening to target populations etc. • Beware over complicated, non-transparent formulae and incentive arrangements that can be self-defeating • Need for financial flexibility and incentives at DZ level to promote and stimulate innovation and continuous quality improvement? Quality Conference 2008