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Dr. Fox
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce tariffs for ophthalmological procedures which take into account the complexity of a case. [129590]
Mr. Hutton
The Department is currently introducing a new way of funding national health service providers for the care that they provide. Under this system, the prices charged to primary care trusts will be based on a national tariff which takes account of the complexity of different cases by using healthcare resource groups.The first phase of this implementation started this year and includes all additional in-patient and daycase activity for cataract surgery. From 2005–06, all activity within ophthalmology will be undertaken at the national tariff.