Latest articles

Latest Medeconomics articles

Learning from significant events

Significant event audit is a formal way of analysing and learning from incidents at your practice, writes the MDU's Dr Sally Old.

How social prescribing can help practices and PCNs tackle workload

What is social prescribing and can it help practices to reduce workload?

VAT and primary care networks

Accountant Katie Collin explains what practices need to know about VAT and primary care networks.

GP contract: Direct booking from NHS 111

Practices in England are required to allow direct booking of appointments from NHS 111 under the new GP contract. Medeconomics explains how this should work.

QOF: End-of-life care QI checklist

Download this checklist to help your practice plan its work for the QOF quality improvement domain's end-of-life care module.

QOF: Prescribing safety checklist

Download this checklist to help your practice plan its work for the QOF quality improvement domain's prescribing safety module.

Minor surgery enhanced service 2019/20

Details of the enhanced service for minor surgery.

Learning disabilities enhanced service requirements 2019/20

A summary of what is involved in the learning disabilities health check scheme ES for England.

Redacting information from medical records - medico-legal advice

MDU medico-legal adviser Dr Ellie Mein provides advice on redacting information from medical records when complying with subject access requests or providing patients with access to their full online records.

Online access to patient records - a checklist

This checklist can help ensure you have processes in place for online access to records and prepare for the new contract requirement that all patients should have access to their full record online from April 2020.

How to increase patient uptake of online services

The new GP contract in England has a number of digital requirements - this article offers tips on how to increase uptake of online services in your practice.

Financial considerations for primary care networks

Specialist accountant Laurence Slavin highlights the financial issues that practices will need to consider as they set up primary care networks.

What practices need to know about state-backed indemnity

The state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs began on 1 April. Medeconomics explains what it covers and highlights issues practices should be aware of.

Changes to vaccinations and immunisations for 2019/20

There are a number of changes to vaccinations under the new GP contract in England from April 2019 - including a new MMR catch-up campaign.

Details of the network contract DES for 2019/20

A summary of the network contract DES that applies for 2019/20 in England.

Contract guidance for England published

NHS England and the BMA have published further details of the GP contract, including the service specification for the network contract DES and the template primary care network agreement.

QOF changes for 2019/20

Changes to the QOF under the GP contract for 2019/20 will remove 'unnecessary indicators' and introduce a new quality improvement domain.

QOF quality improvement - end-of-life care module explained

Medeconomics looks at what practices will need to do for the QOF end-of-life care module in 2019/20, which makes up half of the framework's new quality improvement domain.

QOF: Setting quality improvement goals for end-of-life care

The new end-of-life care quality improvement module in the QOF for 2019/20 aims to improve the care patients and their carers receive. How can practices demonstrate they are doing this?

QOF: Network peer review meetings for quality improvement domain

As part of the new quality improvement domain in the 2019/20 QOF, practices are required to engage in network peer review to share and discuss learning from their activities.

QOF: How to undertake a prescribing audit and setting QI goals

The new prescribing safety quality improvement module of the 2019/20 QOF aims to reduce potential harm to patients by ensuring those taking certain medicines are properly monitored.

QOF quality improvement - prescribing safety module explained

Under the new GP contract in England a new quality improvement domain has been introduced to the QOF. Medeconomics looks at what practices will need to do for the prescribing safety module.

Could a triage app work for your practice?

One practice that has launched a triage app explains how they use the system day to day and offers advice to other practices considering this approach.