Category Archives: emergency departments and care

The argument for a federal takeover of health in Tasmania

November 24, 2011 – 6:24 pm

The likelihood of a “federal takeover” of health (as mooted by Kevin Rudd in 2007) looks ever more remote. However, there seems to be a growing chorus of support for this in Tasmania. Earlier this month, the independent MP Andrew Wilkie joined the Tasmanian Premier’s calls for a federal takeover of public hospitals in that [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health financing and costs, Health inequalities, health reform, Hospitals, surgery, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The hospital reform deal merits congratulations

August 3, 2011 – 6:41 pm

This article was first published at The Conversation. Robert Wells writes: Health professionals and patients alike breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced she had struck a final deal with the states to reform the nation’s hospital system. After two years of very public negotiations, the final agreement includes a [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health financing and costs, health reform | Comments (0)

A swag of recommended reading on health and medical news

May 13, 2011 – 7:17 pm

Below are some links to recommended reading. They cover everything from the challenged role of doctors, and the federal health budget, to inequality, AMA chest-beating, health policy – and the NT Intervention, the NBN and remote Indigenous health… *** Questioning the role of doctors The Drum and The Conversation have embarked on an interesting collaboration [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in alcohol, allied health care, Australian Medical Association, dental care, e-health, Federal Budget 2011, general practice, health financing and costs, Health inequalities, health reform, health workforce, Indigenous health, Journal articles, Media-related issues, mental health, nurses and nursing, rural and remote health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Some more reading on health reform…

February 17, 2011 – 9:25 pm

Just in case the previous two Croakey posts haven’t satiated your appetite for reading about COAG and health reform, below is more commentary and analysis… Beyond the hyperbole At Inside Story, Dr James Gillespie, deputy director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the University of Sydney, identifies four issues arising from the new [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in general practice, Health inequalities, health reform, Medicare Locals, rural and remote health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

What should we make of the MyHospitals website?

December 16, 2010 – 10:00 am

In health policy, it is rare to find an initiative that is universally blessed. This is partly because health policy is frequently about finding the “least worst option”, there being few measures that don’t have some downside. It also reflects the “strife of interests” that so often drown out reasonable intentions. So it’s not surprising [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in evidence-based issues, health reform, Hospitals, MyHospitals website, primary health care, private health insurance, public health, surgery, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

Kicking off a series on safety and quality in health care

October 22, 2010 – 3:39 pm

A National Forum on Safety and Quality in Healthcare will be held in Canberra next week, with the theme, Society, Regulators and Health Providers: a clash of expectations? The forum is hosted by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, ACT Health and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare. One question I will [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health reform, health workforce, Hospitals, quality and safety of health care | Comments (1)

What should the new MyHospitals website tell us?

July 23, 2010 – 10:48 am

From next month, Australians will be able to search a MyHospitals website to find out information about public hospitals, according to recent statements from Health Minister Nicola Roxon and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Roxon says we will learn how any hospital performed compared to national average waiting times for elective surgery and [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in adverse events, cancer, consumer health information, general practice, health reform, Hospitals, Indigenous health, quality and safety of health care, rural and remote health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

How hospital emergency departments are forced to “sell” patients

May 4, 2010 – 6:05 pm

(Part 3 of a Croakey series on health reform). Cost-shifting, blame-shifting and patient-shifting are an integral part of our health system, and the COAG health reforms are unlikely to signal their demise. Dr Clare Skinner, an emergency registrar in Sydney, has some insights from the frontline about how emergency departments “sell” patients, and questions the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health financing and costs, health reform, Hospitals | Tagged , , | Comments (4)