Proposal for Joint SHA Data Collection

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 letterto inform the ministers of health

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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