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Background for the National Non-Admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC)

Contents

• Introduction
• Background
• Collection context
• Funding for DHBs
• ID registration process
• Data validation / data quality rules
• Health Specialty code – NNPAC additions
• User acceptance testing
• Compliance testing
• Purchase Unit data quality update file
• Questions and answers

Introduction

A new national collection, the National Non-admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC) was introduced on 1 July 2006. All District Health Boards have been notified and will be required to submit information to the collection via an approved format on a monthly basis from this date. There is a File Specification for submitting data for this collection.

The sector has been consulted widely on the feasibility and design of NNPAC. NNPAC has also been considered through a number of forums with both DHB and Ministry of Health participation. These include the CEO Executive, CEO forum, CIO forum, National Capital Committee, Information Liaison Group (ILG), Analysts Co-ordination Group(ACG), and Service Framework Group (SFG).

We will provide you with further updates as the current phase of the project progresses. To ensure effective communication, these will be published on this web site as well as communicated through our existing framework.

We also invite your questions for the Questions and Answers page.

Background

The new collection will provide nationally consistent data on non-admitted patient activity. It will deliver standardisation of extract format, transmission, and error correction processes from varied DHB information systems. Availability and use of the data in NNPAC will improve sector knowledge, and enable more informed planning, resource allocation, and advice.

The NNPAC programme will be implemented over a 3-year timeframe in several phases. The scope of Phase 1A comprised ‘counting’ elements only. NNPAC will be designed to be able to facilitate the addition of clinical elements at a later stage.

Collection context

NNPAC will be a foundation for non-admitted patient information. Once established, it is expected that subsequent work will build on the collection by incorporating additional elements to further support health sector information requirements. This may include provision for diagnosis and other clinical information.

Future expansion of the collection will require clear governance and stewardship in line with the National Collections Stewardship Framework. NNPAC is consistent with the implementation path of the Health Information Strategy for New Zealand.

Funding for DHBs

Funding is available to DHBs from the NNPAC implementation. The recommendation of the NNPAC Programme Steering Group is that the Capital funding be flat amount per DHB of $106,000 and the Operational funding be a flat amount per DHB of $56,000.

The recommended approach to distributing this funding is as follows:

• To pay the capital and the first year’s operating funding on invoice when the DHB completed the first month’s data supply and correction.
• The second year’s operating funding would be paid on invoice on 1 July 2007 subject to the DHB continued supply and correction of data during the 2006/07 year.
• The third year’s operating funding would be paid on invoice on 1 July 2008 subject to the DHB continued supply and correction of data during the 2007/08 year.
• Thereafter, the funding would be rolled into baselines.

A Health Report has been sent to the Ministers of Health and Finance requesting approval of the DHB capital payments as the total has been allocated but the DHB by DHB splits need to be approved. Once this has been approved a letter will be sent to DHBs formally outlining the amounts and the terms of payment.

ID registration process

DHB Extract System Identifiers and Client System Identifiers will need to be registered. To register these for your DHB, please send the details via e-mail (operations@moh.govt.nz).

Data validation / data quality rules

In addition to the validation specified in the NNPAC File Specification we have published the lookup tables that will be used to validate specific fields. These are as follows:

• Purchaser Code
• Health Specialty Code
• List of Valid Purchase Unit Code

Additional data quality checks are in place around the attendance code and volume fields and the accident flag and ACC number. Details are as follows:

If Attendance Code = ‘DNW’ (Did Not Wait) or ‘DNA’ (Did Not Attend), then volume must be ‘0’.

Accident Flag	ACC Number	Comment
Y	Is not null	Valid combination
Y	Is null	Valid combination
N or U	Is not null	Not vaild
N or U	Is null	Valid combination

Health Specialty code – NNPAC additions

Two new health specialty codes have been created that will be valid only for NNPAC. This is for DHBs who wish to send data for these areas as part of NNPAC even though they are not mandatory. They are as follows:

A01 – Allied Heath and other
N01 – Nursing

The full list of Health Specialty codes valid for NNPAC is available Health Specialty Code

User acceptance testing

User acceptance testing will be performed by all DHBs. User acceptance test scripts and environment will be provided to all DHBs, including those who will not be submitting data to the collection during July/August 2006.

The purpose of user acceptance test scripts is to confirm that all DHBs have access to the new collection and that the reports created are functioning as required. DHBs can also confirm their ability to create ad hoc queries on the new collection.

User Acceptance Test packs have been prepared and contain the following:

• NNPAC User Acceptance test scripts(Excel document, 50 kB)
• NNPAC Report Guide (PDF, 109 kB)

Compliance testing

Compliance testing for the new collection will be required. Compliance test scripts and compliance environment will be provided to all DHBs who will be submitting data to the collection from 1 July 2006.

The purpose of these compliance test scripts is to confirm that health agencies can meet data requirements as documented in the NNPAC File Specification. If your system meets the test criteria requirements, compliance will be certified.

Compliance test packs have been prepared and contain the following:

• NNPAC Compliance Test Scripts (PDF document, 224 kB)
• NNPAC Error Messages

Purchase Unit data quality update file

Once per year each DHB will provide a file showing the estimated percentage of the events that they will provide for every purchase unit that is valid for NNPAC.

As some DHBs will be providing partial information about some purchase units, this information will be made available on the Health Information Network (HIN) and Business Objects / Infoview to allow analysis of the data correctly.

The file will be due with the first NNPAC submission for each financial year and should be sent to Operations (operations@moh.govt.nz). Please note that your first file should include information up to 30 June 2007.

Field	Type	Format	Note
DHB name	char 30	AAA	DHB name
Purchase Unit Code	char 8	XXXXXXXX	Must be a valid Purchase Unit Code
Unit of Measure	char 256		The Purchase Unit's Unit of Measure
Record year	char 4	YYYY	Four-digit year for start of financial year (eg, 2006 = Financial year 2006/2007).
Percentage	integer		Any number valid between 0 and 100.

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