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Are the HSJ headline writers employed by comissioners? The headline is true and misleading without reading the whole article.

Overall Trusts are undercharging. Hence the peice could equally well or prehaps better (given that the undercharging is greater than the overcharging) have been titled:

HEADLINE: Clinical coding improves but [appropriate proportion] of trusts still undercharging

STRAPLINE: Hospital trusts have improved their clinical coding, but [appropriate proportion] are still undercharging commissioners by as much as 8 per cent, the latest audit results show.

Neither headline is as close to balanced reporting as the almost balanced effect of the under and overchaging. However I realise "Coding improves and comissioners slightly undercharged as trusts under and overcharging balance out" is rather a boring headline despite the reading having a much more clear understsanding of the whole story.