Category Archives: health financing and costs

What can we learn from the history of health reform in the UK? (part 1)

May 4, 2012 – 6:12 pm

Some of the world’s leaders in health reform and quality improvement are heading to Australia as part of a series of workshops organised by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, in conjunction with various partners. In the first of a series profiling some of these visitors and their contributions to health reform, the AHHA’s Terrie [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in evidence-based issues, health reform, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Some solutions to health workforce shortages

May 4, 2012 – 11:58 am

Health Workforce Australia recently released the first two volumes of its three-volume report, Health Workforce 2025, which provides medium to long-term national workforce planning projections for doctors, nurses and midwives up to 2025. The main contribution of the report, according to Professor Richard Murray, President of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, is to show that ‘more-of-the-same’ [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health and medical education, health reform, health workforce, rural and remote health | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

Overuse of healthcare: some suggestions for how to tackle it

April 29, 2012 – 8:01 am

As mentioned recently, the issues of overdiagnosis and overtreatment are in the spotlight, with the Choosing Wisely campaign recently launched in the US, with the backing of medical societies and consumer groups, urging doctors and patients to identify tests and treatments that may not be necessary. Overuse of healthcare also received star billing at the recent [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in conflicts of interest, evidence-based issues, Health inequalities, health reform, Naked Doctor | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Making equity part of the discussion on mental health (including new publications in Indigenous mental health)

February 6, 2012 – 7:12 pm

Note: apologies to readers but system glitches are making it difficult to insert links at the moment. The Australian Psychological Society recently claimed (www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=4137) that the Better Access program had been “the most successful mental health initiative of the past 30 years”. This followed the Federal Government’s announcement that it would put in place transition arrangements [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, Health inequalities, health reform, Indigenous health, Journal articles, mental health, rural and remote health, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Mental health funding: well targeted or just well meant?

January 31, 2012 – 11:20 am

Dr Lesley Russell writes: Since 2006, Australian governments have committed to spending around $8 billion of new money on mental health.  Given the huge burden of mental illness and the unmet needs for mental health services, proper accountability for this expenditure is crucial to ensure that it is targeted at the areas of greatest need [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health reform, Journal articles, mental health | Comments (0)

Federal Government urged to withdraw all support for private health insurance

January 27, 2012 – 11:24 am

As the Government mounts its case for means testing of private health insurance rebates, a new report urges the Government to withdraw all support for private health insurance, on equity and efficiency grounds. The report says private health insurance should be viewed as a form of industry assistance which subsidises queue jumping. It “is administratively [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Health inequalities, health reform, private health insurance, rural and remote health | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

A rather large wrap of recent Croakey articles: public health, health reform, media coverage of health and more

January 11, 2012 – 10:25 am

As previously mentioned, Croakey readers are welcome to sign up for (rather irregular) summaries of posts. If you’d like to join the mailing list, please send your email or leave it below. Here is the latest compilation, covering from 6 October – December 23, 2011. The latest readership figures are now also available, showing that [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in abortion, alcohol, cancer, child health, childbirth and maternity services, climate change, complementary medicines, conflicts of interest, consumer health information, death and dying, dental care, evidence-based issues, Food, global health, health and medical research, Health inequalities, health reform, health workforce, Hospitals, Indigenous health, infectious diseases, Media Doctor Australia, Medicare Locals, mental health, MyHospitals website, obesity, pain, palliative care, pharmacy, physical activity, prevention, primary health care, public health, quality and safety of health care, rural and remote health, SensaSlim, social determinants of health, social media and healthcare, TGA, The Conversation, tobacco control, vaccination, vaccines, WHO | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

An update on the state of health reform: the pros, the cons and the questions

December 19, 2011 – 10:50 am

What has health reform achieved so far? And what are some of the potential positives, negatives and uncertainties? Below is a handy update, first published at The Conversation. Jane Hall and Jonathan Karnon write: Health-care reform was one of the policy areas where much had been promised but little delivered by the start of 2011. [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in general practice, health reform, Hospitals, Medicare Locals, National Preventive Health Agency, primary health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Some more advice for the new Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek

December 14, 2011 – 6:56 pm

      Continuing the theme of a recent Croakey post, below are some more suggestions for the new Health Minister Tanya Plibersek from Crikey Health and Medical Panel members, who were asked: 1. What useful advice might the outgoing Health Minister Nicola Roxon give her successor? 2. What have been Nicola Roxon’s most significant [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in aged care, conflicts of interest, health reform, Medicare Locals, plain packaging, prevention, primary health care, tobacco control | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Some lessons from rural innovation in mental health care (and why it can be harder to work together in cities…)

December 9, 2011 – 12:56 pm

My recent article about mental health reform (a joint production for Inside Story and Crikey) highlighted some of the divisions in the sector. Earlier this year, I did this story for Australian Rural Doctor magazine profiling some of the positives that can come from collaboration in mental health service delivery, at all sorts of levels. [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in chronic diseases, health reform, mental health, primary health care, public health, rural and remote health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)