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Healthcare output and productivity: Accounting for quality change
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Document type:Publication
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Author:Department of Health
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Published date:7 December 2005
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Primary audience:Professionals
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Product number:271610
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Gateway reference:5886
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Series number:Cm 6704
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Pages:82
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Copyright holder:Crown
This paper makes proposals for change in the way the output of the National Health Service (NHS) is measured, to incorporate quality change. It is a response by the Department of Health (DH) to the Atkinson Report on measurement of Government output and productivity for the National Accounts, and follows its principles.
The paper summarises key concepts and results from a research report from the University of York Centre for Health Economics and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, and makes further proposals for quality adjustment, including a future work programme. It is underpinned by seven technical papers.
The paper explores ways of measuring the value of NHS output. This is different from inputs, i.e. what is spent. The focus is on measures for the NHS in England as a whole, rather than for separate NHS Trusts or Primary Care Trusts. The main interest is on how output changes over time, using annual measures. It is then possible to assess change in productivity by dividing the time series for outputs by the time series for volume of inputs - that is, spending deflated to adjust for changes such as NHS pay and price rises.
Two broad aspects of quality are examined:
- health gain (which includes safety and effectiveness); and
- patient experience (which includes aspects of responsiveness, user focus, acceptability, access and timeliness).
Technical papers
'Healthcare output and productivity: Accounting for quality change' is underpinned by the following seven technical papers.
- Download Technical paper 1: The routine use of patient reported health outcome measures (PROMs) in short-stay elective care environments (PDF, 112K)
- Download Technical paper 2: Use of statins and calculation of value weight (PDF, 103K)
- Download Technical paper 3: Using the GP contract quality and outcomes framework for quality adjustment (PDF, 316K)
- Download Technical paper 4: Management of angina (PDF, 76K)
- Download Technical paper 5: Survival rates for patients admitted to hospital with Myocardial Infarction (PDF, 89K)
- Download Technical paper 6: Ambulance response times for patients with cardiac arrest (PDF, 140K)
- Download Technical paper 7: Quality adjustment based on patient experience surveys (PDF, 178K)
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