[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-407922-105":59,"doc-detail-407922-en":134},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":127,"head_meta":129,"extra_data":131,"updated_unix":133},105,"en","why-coding-the-modality-of-primary-care-consultations-matters-editorial","Why coding the modality of primary care consultations matters - Editorial","","The editorial argues that inconsistent coding of consultation modality in UK primary care—such as face-to-face, telephone, and video/online—is limiting evidence on virtual consultation quality and patient safety. It highlights that national statistics likely underestimate virtual consultation volumes, affecting estimates of GP workload and resource needs. The piece explains why modality is poorly recorded, citing differences across electronic record systems, inaccurate mappings, unclear code selection, and insufficient training. It recommends aligning coding nationally, reducing duplicate codes, and introducing incentives, alongside practice-level guidance and improved use of SNOMED CT.",{"@graph":69,"@context":126},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/why-coding-the-modality-of-primary-care-consultations-matters-editorial/407922/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/why-coding-the-modality-of-primary-care-consultations-matters-editorial/407922.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Grenda","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118,122],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the article say coding of consultation modality matters?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It links poor or inconsistent modality coding to limited quantitative evidence on virtual consultation quality and patient safety, and to misrepresentation of GP workload and resource requirements.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What evidence does the editorial provide that virtual consultations are undercounted?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It cites analysis from large online consultation providers showing submissions outnumber national statistics, and reports that a growing share of appointments are categorized as 'unknown mode' or 'video/online' in NHS England datasets.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What causes the inconsistency in how modality is recorded?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The editorial points to financial and research-relevance differences in coding incentives, varied electronic GP record systems, inaccurate reflections of consultation type, duplicate or unclear SNOMED CT codes, and insufficient training for clinicians.",{"name":123,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":124},"What improvements does the editorial recommend?",{"text":125,"@type":113},"It calls for national alignment of modality coding and appointment booking practices, removing duplicate codes, and adding financial incentives for accurate coding, plus practice-level encouragement to follow guidance and better emphasize accurate coding for research.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":128,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":130,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":132,"site_id":62},407922,1790766958,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":135},{"doc_id":132,"user_id":136,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":14,"language":143,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":144,"faqs":145,"seo_title":146,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":147,"read_time":24,"preview_page_count":4},7971474921005,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Editorials  \nWhy coding the modality of  \nprimary care consultations matters  \nStephanie Drew, Benedict Hayhoe, Geva Greenfield, Azeem Majeed, Ara Darzi and Ana Luisa Neves  \nThe UK Government 10-year Health Plan1 sets out a strong commitment to deliver on recommendations in Lord Darzi’s recent Independent Investigation of the NHS.2 Specifically, it focuses on shifting care from hospital to community, increasing use of digital delivery of care, and disease prevention. In primary care, this can include total triage approaches using online consultations, as well as virtual consultations as a new model for improved patient access and efficiency.  \nHowever, evidence on the impacts of virtual consultations on the quality and safety of primary care remains limited. While some qualitative evidence exists, a recent systematic literature review identified only one quantitative, small non-UK based (n = 30) study that measured patient safety as an outcome.3 Oneof the factors limiting quantitative research is the inconsistent coding of consultation modality data (for example, face-to-face or virtual) in primary care.4  \nEvidence suggests that national statistics underestimate the volume of virtual consultations. Analysis of data from one of the largest online consultation providers for NHS primary care showed that the number of online consultation submissions alone over one platform in 2021–2023 significantly outnumbered the combined video/online appointment data from NHS Digital,5 demonstrating the likely substantial underestimation of appointment volume in national statistics. Evidence suggests that this situation may be continuing. In June 2023, telephone appointments represented 26% of all GP appointments,‘unknown mode’ appointments accounted for 2%, and video/online appointments made up 1% of all appointments.6 For June 2025, the NHS England monthly dataset shows that telephone appointments represented 25% of GP appointments, while 2%(n = 703 824) of all appointments continued to be categorised as ‘unknown mode’, and 8%(almost 2.5 million) were categorised as ‘video/online’.6  \nInaccurate data also lead to a misrepresentation of GP workload and resource requirement. Better data entry would support more efficient resource allocation in primary care and offer a clearer picture of general practice workload, which is key for shaping public understanding and healthcare policy. Improving this situation would align with recent calls for practice in primary care to be guided by real-world, primary care-specific research.7  \nWhy is consultation modality poorly recorded?  \nPrimary care staff tend to code more accurately when the clinical codes are clearly linked to patient care outcomes or when there are financial incentives involved.8 However, codes  \nthat contribute to the achievement of targets, such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework, and therefore funding, are not always the same as those that facilitate research. Consultation modality coding does not currently contribute towards funding, nor is it likely to be seen by primary care staff as something that is critical to patient care.  \nThere are many electronic GP medical record systems used in the UK, each with different ways of documenting appointment modality.6 Although appointment type is set locally by individual practices, NHS Digital has noted that the data recorded may not accurately reflect the nature of the consultation:6 for example, virtual consultations delivered by telephone or video may be logged as face-to-face; telephone triage sessions may be recorded as a single block rather than discrete consultations, thereby underestimating activity;  \nand modality labels can be imprecise, with ‘online/video’appointments not necessarily involving any video components.6  \nMoreover, effective coding requires sufficient training, which has been recognised as a potential factor contributing to inconsistent clinical coding, especially among clinical staff.8 To improve the accurate docu","cbCaidr96hQdMq5F","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidr96hQdMq5F","pdf",68954,"English","# Why coding the modality of primary care consultations matters\n## Why is consultation modality poorly recorded?\n## Improving consultation modality coding","[{\"question\":\"Why does the article say coding of consultation modality matters?\",\"answer\":\"It links poor or inconsistent modality coding to limited quantitative evidence on virtual consultation quality and patient safety, and to misrepresentation of GP workload and resource requirements.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence does the editorial provide that virtual consultations are undercounted?\",\"answer\":\"It cites analysis from large online consultation providers showing submissions outnumber national statistics, and reports that a growing share of appointments are categorized as 'unknown mode' or 'video/online' in NHS England datasets.\"},{\"question\":\"What causes the inconsistency in how modality is recorded?\",\"answer\":\"The editorial points to financial and research-relevance differences in coding incentives, varied electronic GP record systems, inaccurate reflections of consultation type, duplicate or unclear SNOMED CT codes, and insufficient training for clinicians.\"},{\"question\":\"What improvements does the editorial recommend?\",\"answer\":\"It calls for national alignment of modality coding and appointment booking practices, removing duplicate codes, and adding financial incentives for accurate coding, plus practice-level encouragement to follow guidance and better emphasize accurate coding for research.\"}]","Why coding the modality of primary care consultations matters - Editorial | PDF",1790576894]