EMIS Web concept configuration
This article explains the different approaches to setting concept configuration, what each one might mean for your practice, and PCIT's recommendation.
What is concept configuration?
"Concept configuration" is a setting in EMIS Web that affects how certain concepts behave. Simply put, it changes the date of any concept that looks at QOF/Fiscal year timeframes to whatever has been set in the configuration.
An example of this is SMOK004, requiring smoking cessation advice every 24 months from end of QOF year. Depending on your practice's setting, the alert for this may appear or not appear when expected.
Optum's article found here briefly describes how to change your surgery's concept configuration.
In-depth look
Concept Configuration is found via a button in Resource Publisher. See the Optum support guide for more details on where to find this.
Your practice's EMIS Web will typically have System default, however it may have been changed to one of the others at some point. There is a table at the bottom of the pop-up that shows what the setting is doing, but it may be tricky to understand at first glance.
System Default
- It's important to first note that "QOF Reference Date" is not fiscal year - it is today's date+3 months+1 day. This changes when Q4 comes around, where the "QOF Reference Date" does become the actual QOF reference data - 1st April.
- This means that when a concept is run between 1st April to 31st December, the concept will identify patients who will meet the concept conditions within the next 3 months
- For example, if the concept is looking for a smoking status in the last 12 months, and it runs on 24th September 2025 then a patient whose smoking status was updated on 24th January 2025 will not be flagged as it is more than 3 months from the 'due' date even though they may need action before the end of the QOF year.
This can cause confusion for QOF alerts or anything that refers to a contract in the fiscal year as practices may want staff to be proactive and action requirements that will be due this QOF year but only see alerts for those patients due in the next 3 months.
End of QOF year
- This means that when a concept is run it will act to identify patients who meet the concept conditions before the end of the QOF year
- For example, if the concept is looking for smoking status in the last 12 months and it runs on 24th September 2025 then a patient whose smoking status was updated on 24th January 2025 will be flagged as it has not been done this QOF year is due this QOF year
This can be a more useful setting for Practices where there is an aim to be proactive as it will clearly identify patients who will count against achievement at end of the QOF year if not actioned. However it does mean that someone who had their asthma review in March 2025 will be flagged as asthma review due from April 2025 onwards even though it has only been done very recently.
If using this setting it is usually best to ensure staff are aware and hover over the alert to see the date the item was last done especially in the early part of the QOF year.
PCIT's recommendation
As you can see, there are different approaches to how to set your practice's concept configuration.
We recommend using End of QOF year - this will mean most alerts will start appearing on the 1st of April. We tend to find most practices find this is the safest and most practical approach. PCIT alerts are built on the use of the End of QOF year concept configuration setting.
The alternative is to offset the date, but this may cause a squeeze around Q4.
Your practice's concept configuration will affect PCIT alerts, protocols and templates, but not searches.
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