The Tariff Configuration applied to a Tariff Calculation describes the Tariff Rates to be applied for each Currency Triggered.
Each Currency has two Tariff Rates; a Primary Tariff Rate and an Additional Tariff Rate.
Primary Tariff Rate
The Primary Tariff Rate represents the charge of delivering an item in the currency on its own.
Each episode or visit will that triggers a Currency will always have one and only one Currency charged at the Primary Tariff Rate.
Where an episode or visit triggers more than one Currency, the most expensive Currency will always be charged at the Primary Tariff Rate.
Additional Tariff Rate
The Additional Tariff Rate represents the marginal charge of delivering additional Currencies. The charge is designed to exclude those items likely to be repeated when the Currency item id delivered alongside another, more expensive item. Items such as Register, Meet and Greet are not included in the Additional Tariff Rate, and Consultation time or Health Promotion and Q&A are reduced.
Market Forces Factor
Where a cluster of commissioners wish to apply a common charge but make a global adjustment to all Currency Tariff Rates based on the Provider, a Provider Market Forces Factor (MFF) can be applied in the Tariff Configuration to all charges raised by a Provider's activity for a all submissions made in a Financial Year. The factor is applied to all charges raised by activity delivered by that Provider for a given month of Submission, the factor is applied immediately - all data released by the Grouper service will automatically apply any relevant MFF in place.
Strictly speaking, the MFF applied to a local tariff arrangement is not the same as an MFF applied to a national tariff. The MFF is a rate agreed locally by the local Host Commissioner and forms part of hte local Host Commissioner's commissioning arrangements with the Provider.
Geo-Weighting
Where a cluster of commissioners wish to apply a common charge but make a global adjustment to all Currency Tariff Rates based on the location of the Clinic providing the care, a Geo-Weighting (GWF) can be applied to the Tariff Configuration to charges raised by any Clinic activity for a all submissions made in a Financial Year where the Clinic is located within the specified Host Commissioner's District (where the Clinic also belongs to a Provider covered by the Tariff Configuration). The factor is applied to all charges raised by activity delivered by those Clinics for a given month of Submission, the factor is applied immediately - all data released by the Grouper service will automatically apply any relevant GWF in place.
This feature allows a provider that has successfully won tenders to deliver services for multiple Host Commissioners to apply a common Tariff Rate with a factor to accomodate the locations of different clinics.
Multiple Agreements
Where a Provider (or Commissioner) is party to multiple agreements with different Tariff Rates, Currency Triggers, or Invalid Currency Combinations, then a different Tariff Configuration is required to represent each Tariff Configuration. In such cases a Provider will need to submit separate activity data from those Clinics operating under one Tariff Configuration to those Clinics operating under another. The Grouper service will facilitate this by creating an additional quasi Provider profile for each additional Tariff Configuration required.