Steve Sutch has a special interest in worldwide developments in Patient Classification and its application in Health planning, funding and resource allocation. He began working in the English NHS in 1987 as an Operational Research consultant, modelling hospital and NHS systems. In 1991, he moved to Wales to manage the investigation of casemix, its introduction, advising the Welsh Health Department and providing a range of casemix information services to hospitals and authorities. In 1994, he moved to the national casemix office in England, continuing work for Wales as a casemix Consultant including the move from AP-DRG to HRG. Joining the NHS Information Authority in 1999 he managed the Analytical and Statistics department supporting the development of casemix groupings (Healthcare Resource Groups) and related services in England and Wales until 2004, and from 2004 to 2006 was Principal Casemix Consultant responsible for the design of casemix groupings for England.
Steve is also a member of the executive and scientific committees of the world-wide casemix conference (PCSE), and lectures and provides consultancy Worldwide, on Casemix development and health informatics.
Qualifications include:
Master of Applied Science, Distinction (2006), Faculty of Health Sciences, Sydney University, Australia
Certificate Health Services Management (1990), Southbank Polytechnic, UK
BSc (Hons) Mathematics, Operational Research and Economics, Class 2.1 (1987), University of Essex, UK
Key Achievements:
Successful negotiation with Royal College and clinical association representatives in the consideration of the design of HRGs for hospital reimbursement.
Senior supplier to the HRG Revision Project board, and senior advisor to the Programme board and national panels for Cancer, Specialised services, Chronic Illness, Paediatrics.
Creation and publication of design rules for v4.0 HRGs and overall design responsibility.
Senior Consultant to the HRG Design team 2003, provision of technical papers to contribute to the HRG design framework for the English Department of Health “Payment by Results” initiative.
Provision of analytical support service to the production of Healthcare Resource Groups v3.5.
Analysis in support of the resource allocation formula for Wales – “Targeting Poor Health”
Continued development of the Service Level Agreement between the Casemix Programme and NHS Wales.
Continued Provision of the “Activity and Costs in Welsh Hospitals” reports from 1996 – 2004 9th Edition.
Establishment and maintenance of data confidentiality and custody guidelines with the Authority’s Caldicott Guardian.
Provision of the “Activity and Costs in Welsh Hospitals” benchmarking reports and associated applications from 1996 – 2004.
Policy development for the implementation of HRGs in NHS Wales, which included the report “Grouping options for Wales, 1998”, and design of the implementation training.
Successful conclusion of the Casemix project after two years, with implementation of the APDRG system, and establishment of Welsh Office policy mandating the use of casemix for support contracts, and costing.
Part of the small team that implemented ICD10 in Wales successfully in 1995, including the national revision to encoder systems.
Design and establishment of the “Activity and Costs in Welsh Hospitals” report in 1995.
Design of a national cost model for NHS Wales
Establishment of the Welsh Casemix and Data Quality and Standards projects.
Design and testing of a comprehensive Clinical Coding Audit System, involving the co-ordination of Medical Records, Clinical Coding, Analysis, Clinical Advise and Confidentiality staff.
Comprehensive study of Outpatient flow trends in SE Thames Region.
Design of data records to support the national development of English DRGs.