MONITORING PURCHASER EXPENDITURE PATTERNS

This study outlines the development and application of a methodology t hat allows direct comparison of the elements that make up in-patient h ealthcare across the West Midlands Regional Health Authority. The meth odology produces a model which monitors the mechanism of resource util ization within the Region and the factors that influence it. The model shows how the uptake of healthcare varies by treatment specialty, bet ween each provider unit, and across all purchasing authorities in the Region. The methodology accounts in all instances for demography and w here appropriate for socio-economic deprivation. The novelty of this s tudy is the generation of provider unit specialty costs that reflect b oth recorded activity and expenditure in the locality. The results of the investigation are made available to the purchasers to assess the l evels of the services they are buying.