Commissioners
Optimum Patient Care is an independent not-for-profit company providing audit and review services to primary care.
Our aim is to help improve patient care, with minimal disruption to GP practices and workload, while also meeting many of a practice’s QOF requirements. OPC works within NICE and BTS guidelines for patient data and asthma/COPD management and is subject to open ended review by independent experts from primary care respiratory medicine. The COPD and asthma review services provided by OPC maintain patient anonymity and confidentiality.
Our employees are on hand to facilitate software implementation and will not require direct access to patient records.
This service goes beyond normal audits. In addition to an audit of the practice data, OPC carry out a thorough assessment of all the patients within the practices using anonymous paper or web-based questionnaires. Once this assessment is complete, we then enable the practice to review the findings and automatically update the computer records. All at the push of a button.
OPC services have the following benefits:
- Carrying out a ‘virtual’ COPD or asthma assessment, identifying those patients whose disease appears to be optimally managed and symptoms minimised and those who may require intervention according to NICE guidance and/or local guidance.
- The patient has an option to complete the questionnaire on paper or via the internet for immediate feedback or return to our freepost address.
- Many QOF requirements are met.
- A report is sent by email back to the lead GP. The audit information can then be downloaded to the practice system, at GP discretion, updating Read codes as appropriate and therefore updating data for GMS points.
- Automatic repeat evaluations can be undertaken to provide ongoing monitoring and impact of earlier interventions.
- As OPC recognise that each practice is different OPC offer a service that can be tailored to their individual needs.
Please take a look at some examples of practice and patient reports generated from these reviews, as well as a list of the read-codes that will be ‘pushed back’ into the practice databases.
We are also working with PCTs to facilitate shared care between primary and secondary care for respiratory disease.
If you have any further questions please contact us.