Trends in hospital service provision

Abstract

In this paper, trends in hospital service provision are measured using data on the numbers and nature of hospitals, on hospital expenditure and on hospital activity over recent years. The number of public acute care hospitals was fairly stable, however, bed numbers decreased. Hospital numbers rose for private hospitals, as did numbers of beds, particularly for group for-profit private hospitals. Recurrent health expenditure on hospitals as a proportion of all recurrent health expenditure fell, although it rose for private hospitals, and real increases in expenditure occurred for both public acute and private hospitals. Population rates for separations and patient days rose for private hospitals and were stable and fell, respectively, for public acute hospitals. Average length of stay decreased for both public acute and private hospitals, with increasing numbers of separations occurring on a same day basis. Increasing proportions of procedures were undertaken during same day stays, and in private hospitals. Separation rates varied geographically, with highest rates overall, and for public hospitals and overnight separations, for patients resident in remote centres and other remote areas. Highest rates for private hospitals were for patients resident in capital cities, other metropolitan centres and large rural centres.

Length of stay benchmarking in the Australian private hospital sector

“…7 This paper considered LOS changes both including and excluding SD cases but did not indicate that the comparisons were DRG standardised.…”

Trends in paediatric injury rates using emergency department based injury surveillance

“…It was assumed that use of private hospitals remained constant over the study period, as data were only available for 2005. It is likely that private hospital use has increased in Brisbane over the study period 34 . A small underestimation of injury incidence may have occurred as data were only available from two of the five private hospitals in Brisbane that treat children in an ED.…”

“…It is likely that private hospital use has increased in Brisbane over the study period. 34 A small underestimation of injury incidence may have occurred as data were only available from two of the five private hospitals in Brisbane that treat children in an ED. A small overestimation of injury incidence may have occurred if some children who are recorded as attending a private ED subsequently presented to RCH or MCH, therefore essentially being recorded twice.…”

Innovation in Australian hospitals

“…In a rapidly changing environment for health care, hospitals are often seen as big and slow moving, hungry, selfinterested and unresponsive to the need to adapt. But the record shows that hospitals have responded to the pressures and changes in health policy and health care in a variety of ways, with some impressive improvements in productivity (see Hargreaves, Grayson and Titulaer, 2002) and an expansion in the use of alternatives to inpatient care (see Walsh, 2002). These initiatives have resulted in improved outcomes in many areas, but in others, proven good practice has not been effectively disseminated, and imbalances have been caused in other parts of the system.…”