Casemix Funding Optimisation: Working Together to Make the Most of Every Episode.

Eastern Health, a large public Victorian Healthcare network, conducted a WIES optimisation audit across the casemix-funded sites for separations in the 2009/2010 financial year. The audit was conducted using existing staff resources and resulted in a significant increase in casemix funding at a minimal cost. The audit showcased the skill set of existing staff and resulted in enormous benefits to the coding and casemix team by demonstrating the value of the combination of skills that makes clinical coders unique. The development of an internal web-based application allowed accurate and timely reporting of the audit results, providing the basis for a restructure of the coding and casemix service, along with approval for additional staffing resources and inclusion of a regular auditing program to focus on the creation of high quality data for research, health services management and financial reimbursement.