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PROPOSAL FOR PROCEDURES AND SCOPE OF SHA DATA COLLECTION UNDER

THE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN OECD, EUROSTAT AND WHO

7th Meeting of Health Accounts Experts and Correspondents for Health Expenditure Data

Paris, 29 - 30 September 2005

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Purposes of the joint SHA data collection

The most important goal is to reduce the burden of data collection for the national authorities

Increase the use of international standards and definitions

– Further harmonisation across national health accounting practices in order to improve availability and comparability of health expenditure data

Encouraging SHA Implementation

Quality of data depends primarily on contributions by member countries

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Documents of the Questionnaire

Summary of the Practical working arrangements for co-operation between OECD, EUROSTAT and WHO

Questionnaire to be completed:– Tables– Methodology

Technical notes– Structure of the classifications and tables– Additional descriptions and definitions used in the Joint

Questionnaire

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Work process

Starting point: Draft proposal for working arrangements discussed in June

Reaching a compromise: Meeting of experts of the three organisations finalised the proposal (September 2-3)

Requesting feedback: Discussion at EUROSTAT Technical Meeting CARE and OECD Meeting of Health Accounts Experts

Preparation of the final documents by the end of November

Participating experts:– OECD: Eva Orosz, David Morgan– EUROSTAT: Cor van Mosseveld – WHO-HQ: Patricia Hernandez

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Informing the relevant national organisations

Letters are planned to be sent to the heads of the relevant national organisations (statistical offices and/or health ministries), emphasising the importance of SHA implementation and the upcoming joint SHA data collection – a joint EUROSTAT-OECD letter to inform the heads of the

national statistical offices – a joint WHO-OECD letter to inform the ministers of health

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Requesting the nomination of a focal point for the joint SHA data collection

Each of the three organisations will send a letter to its direct contact to ask for the nomination of a focal point for their country (in most cases, they may simply confirm the current member of the OECD Network of Health Accounts Experts and/or the members of the Technical Meeting Care of EUROSTAT)

It is necessary for consistency in data responses that at the national level a single person be designated as responsible for SHA data reporting to all the relevant three organisations.

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Requesting the nomination of a focal point for the joint SHA data collection (2)

For OECD, Mr. Scherer, Head of the OECD Health Division, will send a letter to the members of the Group on Health, with a copy to the Permanent Delegations and the members of the Network of Health Accounts Experts

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Distribution of the questionnaire

The joint questionnaire will be sent to countries concerned by 15 December, 2005.

– EUROSTAT will be responsible for distributing the questionnaire to the 25 EU Member States, Romania and Bulgaria

– OECD will distribute the questionnaire to the eleven OECD members which are not members of the EU

– WHO will also promote the use of the questionnaire among their additional members.

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Return of the questionnaire

The deadline for return of the completed questionnaire will be: 31 March, 2006

Correspondents are invited to send the completed questionnaires by the same e-mail to OECD, EUROSTAT, and WHO – Countries which are members of the OECD and the EU

should send their data to all three organisations – Countries which are members of the EU only should send

their data to EUROSTAT and WHO only– Countries which are members of the OECD only should

send their data to OECD and WHO only

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Correspondence between countries and international organisations

Generally, all correspondence concerning the SHA data collection should be sent to all of the three organisations, in case countries are member of these organisations.

– Countries are requested to address their questions to OECD, WHO and EUROSTAT.

– Countries might be sent questions by EUROSTAT, OECD and WHO with the other organisations on copy. Countries are requested to return the answer to all the organisations of which they are members

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Data validation process

The OECD, EUROSTAT and WHO will co-operate in validating the data.

The main principle is that all errors, irrespective of whom identifies them, are always reported back to countries for correction and corrected data files are e-mailed again to OECD, WHO and EUROSTAT simultaneously

The aim is to finalise the data validation process within two months after data submissions

If validated by all three international organisations, countries will be informed about verification of the data by the organisation that sent the questionnaire to them.

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Feedback on working arrangements

Correspondents are asked to provide their feedback about the applied process of common data collection and proposals for modifications if needed

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The Secretariat invites participating experts

COMMENT on the practical working arrangements and scope of the joint SHA data collection

REPORT on their plans for, and any difficulties envisaged in, providing data in accordance with the scope of the questionnaire and within the proposed timeframe