Changing Incorrect Read Codes Instead of Inactivating Them A General Practice has inquired about a person showing up on the diabetes BPI report who is not diabetic. The arises from incorrectly coded diabetics (the same can happen with smokers) who were glucose intolerant all along, or people who are no longer diabetic. The IGTT readcode and the associated audit trail in the readcode showed this:
A person has changed the readcode (rather than inactivating it), and this had masked the fact that the patient was no longer diabetic. If someone was truly incorrectly coded, what you actually need to do is inactivate the incorrectly coded read codes, and put in a new correct one. Practices are advised that changing data will cause BPI to be incorrect, and are reminded not to alter read codes. This issue occurs frequently, and ultimately creates extra work for General Practice staff. Glen Knol Client Facilitator BPAC Clinical Solutions