Monthly Archives: July 2009

Advice to the sick and poor: be afraid, very afraid of this brand of health reform

July 28, 2009 – 1:32 pm

Fiona Armstrong, a health policy advisor and longstanding advocate of health reform, is deeply disappointed by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report. She writes:
“The NHHRC report is not only a missed opportunity to create a system that will address equity and  efficiency in the current system – instead its proposals threaten both.
Of course [...]

By Croakey | Posted in Indigenous health, dental care, health reform, primary health care, private health insurance | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Are you aware of the irony, Mr Rudd?

July 28, 2009 – 12:00 pm

How ironic.
The Prime Minister launches the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report stressing the need to boost primary care. And then what does he do? Takes off, with Minister Roxon, on a tour of teaching hospitals. The impact will be to once again focus public attention and debate upon hospitals. You can bet the [...]

By Croakey | Posted in Hospitals, health reform, primary health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)

The big bang lies with e-health proposals

July 28, 2009 – 11:19 am

Philip Davies, Professor of Health Systems & Policy at the University of Queensland’s School of Population Health, is encouraged by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission proposals around e-health. He writes:
“Much of the debate following the release of the National Health & Hospital Reform Commission’s (NHHRC) report A Healthier Future For All Australians will [...]

By Croakey | Posted in e-health, health reform | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Some smiles and some sighs from remote health expert

July 28, 2009 – 11:10 am

The complexity of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report means it deserves a complex response, suggests Professor John Wakerman, Director of the Centre for Remote Health, a joint initiative of Flinders University & Charles Darwin University. He has filed this analysis for Croakey:
“The greatest understatement in the NHHRC’s final report is that ‘Opportunity [...]

By Croakey | Posted in Hospitals, Indigenous health, health reform, rural and remote health | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Has health reform been put on hold?

July 28, 2009 – 11:00 am

It’s looking like the Feds are going to dodge decisive early action on health reform, warns Dr Lesley Russell. who argues the US experience has some lessons for Australia.  She writes:
“What does the final report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) tell us that we didn’t already know?  What does [...]

By Croakey | Posted in health reform | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Health reform report our best chance “for decades”

July 28, 2009 – 10:50 am

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report is not perfect but represents the best way forward, says Tony McBride, Chair of the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance, that is seeking major change in the Australian health system to make it more equitable, accessible and sustainable.
He has filed this report for Croakey:
“Yesterday was a [...]

By Croakey | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Good luck – you’ll need it for mental health reform

July 27, 2009 – 4:03 pm

What does the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report mean for mental health?
Thoughts of an ambitious Pollyanna have come to mind for Dr Michael Robertson, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney.
He has filed this analysis for Croakey:
“The parts of the NHHRC relevant [...]

By Croakey | Posted in health reform, mental health, prevention | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Mixed reactions for National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report

July 27, 2009 – 2:40 pm

Croakey welcomes feedback from readers on the report, which is available here.
The consumer emphasis is welcomed by Merrilyn Walton, Assoc Prof of Medical Education at the University of Sydney.
She writes:
“At last the consumer voice is on the agenda. Rather than being silent recipients of care, the NHHRC Report recommends their voice be an equal [...]

By Croakey | Posted in consumer health information, health reform, public health, rural and remote health | Tagged , | Comments (0)

A quick guide to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report

July 27, 2009 – 2:21 pm

You can read the report in all its detail here, but in the meantime, here is a quick summary.
The executive summary identifies several priorities, including:
Indigenous health
• Establish a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Authority to buy services and to hold services accountable
• Strengthen community controlled health services, develop Indigenous health workforce and upskill [...]

By Croakey | Posted in dental care, health reform, mental health | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Health reform: will it be big bang or big fizz?

July 27, 2009 – 8:33 am

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s final report should be available here from about 1030 this morning.
Will it go off with a big bang or a big fizz?
I’m hoping for a big bang, but perhaps that is more than a touch naive, given all the preliminary reportage suggesting otherwise.
A bit of tinkering at the [...]

By Croakey | Posted in health reform | Tagged , | Comments (0)