• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Pounds 1m Health Bill Dispute

Posted on: Friday, 3 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Sam webb

A ROW over a pounds 1million bill has erupted between Walsgrave Hospital and the Coventry Primary Care Trust.

The two health care bodies are disputing the money following the introduction of a new system of payment.

Before last year, the PCT used to give Walsgrave Hospital a set amount of money for the care it provided. Now it operates a "Payment by Results" system, where the hospital gets money for each operation, or each patient treated.

But the PCT believes the hospital has overcharged them by pounds 1m - and both organisations are to go to an independent judge to settle the dispute.

Mike Attwood, joint chief executive of Coventry Teaching Primary Care Trust, said: "It is a new and different way of working for us and both the PCT and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust wants to ensure that we get it right fromthe start.

"As a result we have jointly agreed to let the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority look at areas of differing interpretation with regard to our service level agreements.

"This is standard procedure as we have identified around pounds 1 million which needs closer examination."

David Roberts, chief executive of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "As we approach the end of the financial year the Primary Care Trust is looking to recover circa pounds 1m of its financial deficit and to this end hastaken various actions, including disputing the amount of money which it had agreed to pay the Hospital to provide patient care."

He said he wanted to help the PCT without compromising care.

Source: Coventry Evening Telegraph

More News in this Category