Ardens have created searches to support practices with claiming for Minor Surgery and Joint Injections.
Please note - these are mainly for Ardens Starter customers: if you are a Ardens Plus or Pro Customer, these searches maybe part of your Local Commissioned Services content, please check the appropriate Ardens CCG searches folder to locate these searches.
We encourage practices to use the Ardens Minor Surgery/Joint Injection template to ensure relevant coding is entered for payment claims.
Ardens Minor Surgery and Joint Injection Reports
To locate the searches, access the Population Reporting module > Ardens Searches > 5.50 Contracts - Local (generic) > Minor Surgery & Joint Injection folder:
The searches and reports contains the most commonly used minor surgery and joint injection payment codes. We do recommend checking that these codes to make sure that they are the ones used locally.
The folder includes two 'Minor surgery + joint injections' folders, one for new coding and one for old coding.
Minor surgery + joint injections (New Coding)
The searches in this folder report on all patients including those who have left and died and have had a minor surgery or joint injection procedure
1. Activity:
The Activity folder contains searches and reports reporting on the procedures recorded for aspiration, excision, incision and injection procedures separately and have had a suitable code added for the procedure and a code indicating that the procedure as done as an enhanced surgery. Under each search there is a list report with patient details and procedure details and an aggregate report with anomalised procedure data usually used for payment claims -
To run the searches above, right click on the report or search and select Run.
The searches include a data parameter, which will allow you run the data in your required time frame, i.e. monthly, yearly, quarterly. For more information on using data parameter in a search, please see this following support article. Select the appropriate time frame and click OK.
Please note - the aggregate reports may display with a high number, please ignore this, once you click on the View Results option, this will display the break down of numbers.
2. Assessment without procedure code -
Some areas need practices to add the "Assessment for Minor surgery" code on the same day as the procedure code. This search and report will highlight those patients where the code has NOT been added.
3. Data Quality based on new dual coding -
Data quality searches and reports for patients who have had minor surgery procedures code added but it hasn't been recorded that the procedure was done as an enhanced service. This code is needed to ensure payment. The final search is where a generic or just a minor surgery code has been added and these procedures may not be seen as eligible for payment.
Minor Surgery + joint injections (Old coding)
These searches have a similar structure to the "new" folder including all patients and have reports with identifiable patient details and aggregate reports with anomalised procedures information. Previous claims coding were partnered together and would have the "Minor Op done coded". These codes are still used in some area and these searches may be used for current claims or possibly be used for retrospective ones
These searches also run on parameters - please see above.
The searches in DQ searches folder can be used to check that codes "Minor surgery done...." have been added and will be correct for payment.
The searches and reports contains the most commonly used minor surgery and joint injection payment codes. We do recommend checking that these codes to make sure that they are the ones used locally.
To check the codes in the activity searches use, please highlight the relevant search and go to the definition tab
and double click on the "clinical code is...." and this will display the codes that are included in the search -
Ardens Minor Surgery Template
To support data entry, Ardens have created a generic Minor Surgery/Joint Injection template to capture activity. Please note - if you are a Ardens Plus or Ardens Pro customer, there may be a template specific to your CCG, in which the coding will have been aligned to your local specifications – in this case you should use your local template instead of the generic one.
The Ardens template includes the "Enhanced Service admin" code and this is indicated by the red statement in the appropriate section.
To access the Ardens Minor Surgery/Joint Injection Template from a patient record, click on the Run Template option in a open consultation (alternatively, outside of a consultation click on the Add > Data using Template option)
This will open the Template Picker screen, type in "minor surgery" using the search box provided (alternatively select the Ardens folder in the folder navigation pane, navigate to the Consultation Templates > Procedure folder). Double click on the template to launch.
Complete the necessary fields and Save template once complete.
If you require any further assistance on the process above, please contact Ardens support on: support-emis@ardens.org.uk