Article Text
Abstract
Diagnostic coding of inpatients is essential for funding however coding for outpatients has only just been recognised with a recommendation from GIRFT (Getting It Right First Time – a UK programme to improve quality of care). At Croydon University Hospital, which serves a population of about 350,000, 5 Neurology consultants started coding outpatients in June 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic. 12 months of data were collected to determine the percentage of outpatients that were coded. Over 12 months, 5697 patients were booked into outpatients, of which 565 did not attend (9.9%), 2338 (41%) were first appointments and 2794 (49%) were follow-ups. In the first month, 10.3% of patients were coded and by the twelfth, 74.2% of patients were coded (with a peak of 77.4% in the tenth). This proves that it is possible to code outpatients in a Neurology department at a district general hospital. This data will help us improve services for the community served and hopefully encourage the wider Neurology community to document diagnoses in an extractable manner.