A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?

A new way of measuring hospital productivity: what does it add?Following a barrage of policy announcements in recent weeks from the Department of Health and national bodies, it is clear that the focus is firmly on creating an NHS that uses its money more wisely.

Lord Carter’s interim report on the productivity of NHS providers was one of these announcements, aiming to set out how £5 billion worth of savings can be made by the NHS. The report includes a new method of comparing operating costs: the Adjusted Treatment Index (ATI). This will be an important tool for identifying opportunities to improve productivity and, according to the report, bring the NHS into line with best practice in other countries. So how will it work? The King's Fund