546 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT: IMPROVING CONTENT IN DISCHARGE SUMMARIES FOR CODING (Age and Ageing)

AbstractIntroductionHospital coding provides a pivotal service, integral to data collection, national statistics and hospital finances. The system of accurately coding depends almost entirely on the information put into Electronic Discharge Letters (EDLs). This project aims to up skill doctors with the expertise of the coding department, so that the EDLs reflect more accurately the experiences of the patient in hospital.MethodCycle 1; A member from the coding department was invited to the ward once a week to join with junior doctors writing their discharge letter. The coding from the discharge letters produced during this time were compared to those immediately prior to the coding department`s involvement. Cycle 2; The lead author and a member from the coding team took a sample of 12 notes from the Ambulatory Emergency Clinic (AEC), for patients presenting in January and February of 2020.ResultsCycle 1; there was no significant difference in the number of co-morbidities or revenue gained from EDLs written with the support of the coding team compared to doctors writing ELDs independently Cycle 2; For 9 of the 12 patients (75%), co-morbidities were added. This changed the Healthcare Resource Group coded of 5 patients, resulting in an increasing the revenue to the hospital by £757 on average. For the number of patients seen in AEC in January, this could represent £218,271 of lost revenue, in addition to other benefits of accurate record keeping.ConclusionThe role of the physician cannot increase indefinitely, and there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained from our colleagues in the coding department. This collaboration in assiduously improving the service that our patients receive brings the possibility of large financial gains as well as more accurate health care records.