Northgate Information Solutions and the Public Sector Costing Associates Limited have formed a new partnership to deliver a software and consultancy package for Patient Level Costing.
Patient Level Costing is a change in costing methodology to a bottom up approach which will allow for improved clinical engagement by discussing actual patients rather than averages, and a better understanding of costs as it will be able to compare cost buckets rather than just average costs
The Public Sector Costing Associates Limited (PSCAL) already work with over 220 trusts, processing over £20bn of NHS expenditure through their Cost Master PLC software solution.
Northgate is the UK’s leading supplier of specialist software and IT services for the human resources and public services market and currently runs the Hospital Episodes Statistics service on behalf of the Information Centre, as well as other national services for the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council.
Together, they hope to be able to offer a total package of advanced software, consultancy and integration services.
Northgate’s team of over 40 specialists in data transformation and integration will work alongside PSCAL’s Patient Level Costing team to ensure the delivery of high quality activity information to drive costing and service line reports.
Northgate’s healthcare manager, Richard Armstrong, said “We are delighted at the opportunity to help NHS Trusts deliver patient level costing. We see this as key to the success of the recent NHS reforms. Both Northgate and PSCAL are UK companies with an in-depth understanding of the NHS and its unique challenges.”
Mike Singer of PSCAL added: “We are pleased to be working with a company which has specific skills in NHS data services. Many of our clients feel that generalists, who do not understand the NHS, add significant risk to their projects.”
Cost Master PLC will be available from July 2007. It has been designed from the ground up to work in the NHS and for the NHS. Cost Master PLC is part of PSCAL’s integrated suite of financial solutions for the NHS.
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