The Australian Health Insurance Association (AHIA) today welcomed the announcement by the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Hon. Nicola Roxon, that all hospitals – both public and private – will be benchmarked through the introduction of performance measures.
“Minister Roxon’s announcement today is an important first step in addressing quality and safety issues in Australian’s health care system,” said AHIA CEO, Dr Michael Armitage.
“Making information on the performance of our hospitals publicly available will assist all Australians in the choices they make regarding their health care treatment.
“In particular, the 10.9 million Australians with private health insurance will benefit from this announcement as it will provide these consumers of health care with information about the quality of the health services they can access, further enhancing ‘Consumer Choice’.
“This measure will also allow private funds, as the only other payers in the health system outside government, to identify quality care when it’s provided and to work with less effective providers to improve health outcomes. This improvement in care will be welcomed by all consumers of health care.
“Ultimately this initiative should result in lower cost pressures for funds as the level of care provided improves.
“We look forward to working with the Government to implement these measures as soon as is practical,” Dr Armitage said.
Media contact: Craig Simonetto 0413 722 281