The published guide provides a summary of the proposed 2013/14 Payment by Results (PbR) pathway funding system for maternity services. It identifies what the NHS needs to do during 2012/13 to prepare for its implementation. The Department of Health, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Healthcare Financial Management Association are jointly publishing the guide.
The maternity services pathway payment system - a simple guide 2012/13 explains that under the new system, a commissioner will pay a provider for all the pregnancy-related care a woman may need for the duration of her pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. In general there will be no further payments for individual elements of activity, although there are a small number of clearly identified exceptions.
This ‘single payment’ approach contrasts with the current PbR mechanism, where each intervention or hospital attendance triggers additional payments.