Qatar to Host PCSI Conference in 2014/ 1

Doha, June 09 (QNA) - The Supreme Council of Health (SCH), today signed an agreement to host the 30th annual session of the Patient Classification System International (PCSI) conference in Qatar in 2014. The event is a major international gathering of healthcare specialists focusing on the case mix concept. The agreement was signed by Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain Ali, Assistant Secretary General at the SCH for Policy Affairs and Poul Erik Hansen, President of PCSI. Case mix or activity based funding - is a system that measures hospital performance, aiming to reward initiatives that increase efficiency in hospitals and based on the condition of the patients. Classification involves grouping patients into what are called Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). Case mix funding also serves as an information tool that allows policy makers to understand the nature and complexity of health care delivery in the country. It is expected that around 300 specialist delegates from around the world will attend the three-day event that will see workshops and plenaries focused on the development of the case mix concept in different parts of the world. Delegates range from academia through to health ministries, hospitals and non-governmental organisations. "As part of the National Health Strategy, the SCH has been working to introduce activity based funding through the National health Insurance Scheme," explained Dr Faleh. "This is a necessary step to encourage both efficiency and efficacy to ensure that members and providers have access to a transparent, high quality healthcare. With the National Health Insurance scheme gearing up for launch shortly, we felt it would be appropriate to host the 2014 event in Doha to build on shared experiences and to expand on the development of the case mix concept." The Doha conference will mark the first time the PCSI event has travelled into the Middle East region. Previous events were held largely in Europe, North America and Australia. Candidate nations normally wait around ten years before they are able to host the conference, which is organised as a joint effort of the PCSI and a local organisation in the host country’s healthcare sector involved in case mix. "I am impressed with the health care that Qatar has built up for the benefit of its people. It can inspire many others, "said Hansen. "It is therefore gratifying that the Supreme Council of Health makes it possible to arrange a PCSI Case Mix Conference in 2014 for the first time in the Middle East. " "PCSI is the only worldwide organization that allows members to share and learn about the latest developments in the case-mix systems," he said. "These systems are used in many different funding models around the world. In all the countries that have introduced case-mix systems as a tool for management of health care it has provided more health for the money. I am sure that the basis of this positive development will get a significant boost in Doha in 2014." "During the 2012 PCSI conference in Avignon, France, the SCH presented preliminary results of the cost study in Qatar as part of the planned move to activity based funding," said Husein Reka, project manager for the National Health Insurance Scheme at the SCH. "It highlighted the position of Qatar as the most advanced member of the GCC and Middle East region in case mix development. During the 2013 event in Helsinki, Finland; we will be expanding on the previous paper and presenting the methodology for establishing cost weights for the DRG system in Qatar." The PCSI is an evolution of the Patient Classifications Systems Europe (PCSE), which was initially founded in 1987 in Lisbon. It created a network of researchers and users of the case mix concept from health administration, government agencies, and academia. From an initial focus on Diagnosis Related Group (DRGs), the associations goals have expanded to include a broader interest in clustering and grouping techniques of clinical and administrative data for health care management and financing. The association has stimulated the use and refinement of the science of "grouping patients" within different levels of the health system. With expansion on a global level across five continents, the organisations name changed to Patient Classification Systems International (PCSI). It is today, the only worldwide organization addressing case-mix issues. "We look forward to welcoming the PCSI delegates to Qatar next year, not only to share expertise and learn, but also to open a new phase in the region on the structure of healthcare financing and funding," said Dr Faleh.(QNA)