Category Archives: health reform

Hospital management is too important to leave to medicos

November 2, 2009 – 8:31 pm

A call for hospital management to return to arrangements of the past has drawn fire from former senior health service manager Michael Moodie and health economist Professor Gavin Mooney.
They write:
“John Graham’s suggestion for saving NSW hospitals, as outlined in his recent Centre for Independent Studies monologue, dreams of hospitals managing their own affairs unfettered by [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Hospitals | Tagged , | Comments (4)

Would Medicare Select deliver a mental health boost?

November 2, 2009 – 7:10 pm

In recent weeks, Croakey has run several articles examining the potential pros and cons of the Medicare Select concept floated by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission in its final report.
Now a senior mental health advocate, Sebastian Rosenberg, is weighing into the debate, asking what such a model might mean for those with mental [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in mental health | Tagged , | Comments (7)

Some safety lessons from US health care

October 24, 2009 – 9:41 am

The United States health system often cops a bad press, but it has some lessons for us when it comes to reporting on quality, says our correspondent in Washington, Dr Lesley Russell.
She writes:
“Last week the 2009 annual report from the National Committee for Quality Assurance  (NCQA) was released.
The NCQA is a private, not-for-profit organization [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in adverse events, quality and safety of health care | Comments (3)

Menadue writes pharmacy sector a script for change

October 20, 2009 – 12:26 pm

The conversations must have been lively at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney over the weekend. Health reform advocate John Menadue really socked it to the audience, judging by his 3,500-word speech.
For the sake of time-pressed Croakey readers, I’ve compressed the speech into several dot points. But it is worth reading in full, and you [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in pharmacy, prevention | Comments (2)

Where does the PM stand on health equity?

October 16, 2009 – 10:06 am

OK, so the recent post on why Health Ministers should insist on health equity impact statements for all policy recommendations may have revealed me as a hopelessly tragic idealist. And that’s not all. On reflection, I was also being a bit simplistic.
Of course, if we really care about health equity, health ministers would probably not [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, rural and remote health | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Why aren’t we making better use of pharmacy?

October 15, 2009 – 7:33 pm

Why isn’t Australia making better use of its pharmacy resources?
That’s the question on health consultant Simon Burrow’s mind as he jetsets across the world. He’s picked up a few ideas from South Africa and the United States that he suggests might be useful/relevant for health reform in Oz.
He writes:
“The recent primary healthcare debate and [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in pharmacy | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The question that Health Ministers should be asking

October 14, 2009 – 3:38 pm

If I was Health Minister (heaven forbid as I wouldn’t have the stamina, political nous, or tolerance for playing the media game), I would insist that the following question was applied to every piece of policy advice or recommendation.
Will this further increase the inequities in access to good health and to health services? Or will [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Journal articles, health and medical research | Comments (2)

Medicare Select: the best option for consumers

October 13, 2009 – 7:03 pm

And the debate about Medicare Select continues…
Vern Hughes, the Secretary of the National Federation of Parents Families and Carers, has joined the discussion which has been going on here, here, here, and here at Croakey and also at Inside Story.
He writes:
“The National Federation of Parents, Families and Carers was one of just two organisations out [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in consumer health information | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Is this the future? Clinicians as “care deniers”?

October 13, 2009 – 10:41 am

A book that was released some years ago examining the impact of market-based reforms of the National Health Service in the UK gives us some timely insights into where Australia is heading.
That’s the warning from Dr Peter Short, a health industry worker with extensive background in clinical work and health professional education, who has provided [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, health workforce | Comments (0)

The real safety issues in maternity care: a sneak preview

October 12, 2009 – 8:45 am

Maternity care provides a classic example of the pitfalls of a specialist-driven model of practice in health care. It results in more expensive and interventionist care, rather than a community-based approach which could also help ensure a more equitable distribution of services. It has led us to talk about obstetrics, which implies a focus on [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Media-related issues, childbirth and maternity services, evidence-based issues | Tagged , , | Comments (6)