Financial risk in health purchasing: risk pools
Part one of this series explored the financial risk associated with the size of a practice-based commissioning (PBC) group. A process for determining the point of minimum possible financial risk was illustrated by excluding high cost admissions from the core PBC budget (Jones, 2008). By implication, such exclusions will be gathered into a risk pool held on behalf of the PBC group.
Understanding risk within GP commissioning
Healthcare provision is a high risk business and appropriate risk-management strategies should be considered to ensure the commissioning of a ‘service’ operates within a consistent and stable financial environment to ensure the best outcomes. It is well known, and documented, that there is a high degree of risk involved with natural fluctuations in terms of the healthcare needs of a population (insurance risk), and also an additional component of controllable activity associated with things such as poor prescribing, inappropriate referrals, lack of implementation of best practice or poor signposting of patient pathways (service risk). In addition to this, cyclical patterns of medical emergency admissions have been noted in the UK during the past 20 years. Understanding these risks and variations, and minimising their effects, will support the commissioning and delivery of effective services and healthcare interventions. This paper discusses the implications of risk within the changing UK healthcare enviro...
Movement toward a predominantly electronic journal collection
Purpose – To address the UNLV Libraries movement toward a predominantly electronic journal collection including evaluation of library collection and reevaluation of organizational structure, staff resources and workflow to find the best ways to provide library users with timely and reliable access to electronic resources.Design/methodology/approach – A range of UNLV Libraries initiatives in building and managing electronic resources is described to demonstrate how the library moved from a predominantly print environment to a predominantly electronic environment. The paper consists of sections: development of the electronic resources collection, reengineering acquisitions/periodicals, new responsibilities and new skills, next steps, and conclusion.Findings – Since 1999, the composition of the Libraries journal collection has been dramatically changed. The percentage of print‐only subscriptions decreased from 59 percent in 1990 to 20 percent in 2004, while electronic journals jumped from 35 percent to 75 pe...