Request:
I am enquiring about ophthalmology – specifically the treatment of patients with Wet age-related macular degeneration. When diagnosed, patients require treatment involving regular injections into the eye and repeated OCT scans.
The questions I have are as follows:
- For patients being treated for wet-AMD, what tariffs do you apply? I am interested to know:
- Do you use national tariffs for outpatient appointments, scans, and for treatments. If so, which ones do you use? Please provide HRG codes where possible.
- If locally negotiated tariffs are used, please provide details of these. If ‘bundled’ (e.g. include treatments/scans etc), please advise on what is included in the cost. If ‘unbundled’ (e.g. each element is costed separately), please advise on the locally agreed price for each element
2. NICE guidance advises that patients referred for Wet AMD should start treatment within 14 days of referral. Please could you advise what percentage of Wet AMD patients commence treatment within 14 days of referral at your Trust?
3. What is the average wait to be seen from the point of referral for Wet-AMD at your Trust?
Information disclosed:
1a. National tariffs are used for all elements of the pathway. Outpatient attendances should attract standard appointment / specialty tariff. The Trust does not hold a specific list of HRG codes relevant to these procedures as the HRG codes applied will vary depending on a range of possible comorbidities.
1b. Not applicable
2. 100% of patients are offered treatment within 14 days of referral.
3. Whilst the Trust holds base data that may facilitate this calculation, our information leads have advised that extracting this data from our reporting systems would be a complex and time-consuming process.
According to guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office, where the provision of information will require complex analysis and a high level of skill and judgement to produce, this would amount to creating information not already held.
An assessment of the work involved in calculating the average you have requested has concluded that it meets the criteria of information ‘not held’ under this guidance.
This information is therefore not held by the Trust and not available under the terms of the Act at this time.