(Section) 17C agreement - A locally negotiated agreement for a practice to provide primary medical services which can be flexible in accordance with local circumstances (formerly known as 'Personal Medical Services' or 'PMS' agreement)

(Section) 2c agreement - An agreement where a practice is directly financed by an NHS Board.  An NHS Board can, in certain circumstances, make arrangements with, for example, a non-NHS organisation for the provision of NHS services

Section 17C or 2C schemes can include quality and outcomes as part of their locally negotiated agreements, and in many cases, they opt to use part or all of the new GMS QOF as a measurement tool. 

Additional services domain - comprises indicators on cervical screening, child health surveillance, maternity services and contraceptive services.

Adjusted Disease Prevalence Factor (ADPF) - During calculation of QOF payments, the baseline number of pounds per point (£124.64 in 2008/09) is adjusted up or down within each clinical domain area according to each practice's prevalence for that disease or condition, relative to the estimated national prevalence.  The amount by which the pounds are is adjusted up or down is known as the Adjusted Disease Prevalence Factor (ADPF). 

CHD - Coronary Heart Disease

CKD - Chronic Kidney Disease

Clinical Domain - In 2004/05 and 2005/06 the domain comprised 76 indicators in 10 areas. Since 2006/07 the domain has comprised of 80 indicators in 19 areas.  Indicators include asthma, atrial fibrillation, cancer, coronary heart disease, COPD, chronic kidney disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, heart failure, hypertension, hypothyroidism, mental health, palliative care, conditions assessed for smoking, stroke, learning disabilities and obesity.

COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Denominator - The number of patients for whom the QOF points for the indicator could reasonably have been obtained.  Denominators for clinical indicators are subsets of the relevant registers, with some patients excluded due to the indicator definition, and some patients exception reported on the basis of defined criteria.

Domain - There are 4 domains within the QOF in 2008/09; Additional Services, Clinical, Organisational and Patient Experience.  In previous years there has also been a Holistic Domain.  Each domain consists of a set of broadly similar indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement

Exception rate - The number of exceptions as a percentage of the number of people eligible to be included in the indicator denominator, calculated as: exceptions/(exceptions+denominator) x 100.

Exceptions - Patients who are on the disease register, and fall within the indicator definition, but are not included in the calculation of a practice?s achievement against that indicator.  Reasons why a patient might be exception reported include: - the treatment not being clinically appropriate for the patient, the patient not attending for treatment, the patient refusing to have the treatment, or the patient only having been diagnosed/registered with the practice very recently.

Exclusion rate - The number of exclusions, as a percentage of the number of people eligible to be included in the indicator denominator, calculated as: exclusions/(exclusions+exceptions+denominator) x 100.

Exclusions - Patients who are included on a particular register, but for who for definitional reasons, cannot be included in a specific QOF indicator denominator.  For example, an indicator may refer only to patients of a specific age group, patients with a specific status (e.g. those who smoke), or patients with a specific length of diagnosis.

GMS (or nGMS) contract - General Medical Services contract, within which the QOF is a voluntary part.  This contract is nationally negotiated with some local flexibility for GPs to 'opt out' of certain services or 'opt in' to the provision of other services.

Holistic Domain - this domain is a measure of the breadth of care across the clinical domain.  This domain was active from 2004 to 2008 but was not part of the QOF in 2008/09.

Incidence - a measure of the number of newly diagnosed cases within a particular time period

LVD - Left Ventricular Dysfunction

National Prevalence Day - The national prevalence estimate used in the payment calculations is based on prevalence data recorded in the payment calculation system (QMAS) as at a date referred to in the QOF as ?National Prevalence Day?.

Numerator - An indicator numerator is the number of those in the denominator who meet the specific indicator success criteria.

Organisational domain - comprises indicators on records & information, patient communication, education & training, practice management and medicines management.

Patient experience domain - comprises indicators on patient survey and consultation length.

Prevalence - a measure of the burden of a disease in a population at a particular point in time.  It is the total number of patients on the disease register, expressed as a proportion or percentage of the total number of patients registered with the practice.

QMAS (Quality and Outcomes Framework Management and Analysis System) - the national QOF calculation database

QOF - Quality & Outcomes Framework

Register - A 'register' of patients in a practice for inclusion in a specific clinical indicator group.  A register may count patients with one specific disease or condition, or it may include multiple conditions.  There may also be other criteria for inclusion on a register, such as age or recency of diagnosis.

TIA - Transient Ischaemic Attack