Data Quality & Audit

Coverage of HIPE data has improved over the last number of years and this has also highlighted the equally important issue of data quality. The key to ensuring accurate data is to follow coding guidelines, attend training, refer to training material and perform regular reviews of coded data. Many hospitals perform regular checks on HIPE data to ensure their own high standards of accuracy. The HIPE Unit at the ESRI also carry out complementary reviews on the data and these checks are constantly reviewed and updated. In addition to validation edits at data entry level, HIPE data from all hospitals are routinely passed through a set of standardised checks. New software will be released shortly to facilitate hospitals to run these checks in an efficient manner locally. Data quality checks are performed on current and older years to ensure accuracy of data for the HIPE data reports.

 

Data quality reviews of pre-MDC, AR-DRGs and Error AR DRGs are an effective data quality exercise and we recommend that all hospitals review data using these tools. Cases in “error AR DRGs” are not necessarily incorrect but there is something atypical in the coding of the case where the chart may need to be reviewed to ensure the coding is accurate. Cases in the pre-MDCs with procedures such as ventilation, transplants and tracheostomies are important to monitor.  Reviews at chart level may be required to ensure the coding is accurate. The AR DRG manuals provide detailed information on the grouping of this type of activity.

 

A review of a random selection of coded cases is an important part of coder education, especially for new coders (e.g. print out a random selection of cases using a detailed patient report). The ESRI perform this type of review for all new coders. Also general checking lists are produced, reviewed and sent out to hospitals.

 

The HIPE Coding Audit Toolkit (HCAT) is also available for hospitals – this programme will be updated for ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS 6^th Edition and for changes to HIPE variables so please contact us if you have not yet installed this software or for assistance using the toolkit.

 

The Data Quality Checks Workbook will be updated for ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS 6^th Edition and will be issued shortly to all hospitals.

 

Hospitals with any queries or suggestions on data quality, data quality checks or edits may contact us. Coders are encouraged  to return any outstanding data quality queries to ensure the national file is correct. It is equally important to monitor quality as well as meet deadlines in order to achieve the goal of timely and accurate hospital activity data.