Ian Carter, HSE
By Gary Culliton.
Provision of additional hospital capacity and capability in areas which continue to experience increased service demand — particularly regarding access across EDs, inpatient day care and Outpatient Department (OPD) services — are projected to cost an additional €30 million this year, the HSE’s Acute Services Divisional operational plan for 2014 states.
The aim is to begin the phased implementation of a ‘Money Follows The Patient’ approach to funding acute hospitals as part of the preparatory step for universal health insurance (UHI) implementation, according to the plan.
From January 1, 2014, Phase I of the MFTP approach to hospital funding was to be implemented in the country’s 38 hospitals participating in the casemix system. The programme will be implemented over a number of years.
A shadow funding exercise was undertaken for a number of selected hospitals (one from each hospital Group) to compare actual 2013 activity against target activity. An “engagement process” with hospitals was undertaken in December 2013, with the objective of learning from the shadow funding exercise.
A Steering Group has been established and is overseeing the implementation plan, key elements of which are: an action plan to ensure delivery of MFTP Phase 1 at hospital level; an approach to funding and activity targets for MFTP 2014; and developing the strategy and plan for MFTP Phase 2 for the period 2015-2016.
A Healthcare Pricing Office has been established on an administrative basis and will have responsibility for the pricing / tariff function.
The HSE National Director of Acute Services Ian Carter has said a key priority for 2014 is to ensure the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) system is fully implemented across all acute hospitals.