OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality: Australia 2015
Raising Standards
![image of OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality: Australia 2015 image of OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality: Australia 2015](https://assets.oecdcode.org/covers/100/g2g53476.jpg)
Australia’s health system functions remarkably well, despite operating under a complex set of institutions that make coordinating patient care difficult. Complications arising from a split in federal and state government funding and responsibilities are central to these challenges. This fragmented health care system can disrupt the continuity of patient care, lead to a duplication of services and leave gaps in care provision. Supervision of these health services by different levels of government can manifest in avoidable impediments such as the poor transfer of health information, and pose difficulties for patients navigating the health system. Adding to the Australian system’s complexity is a mix of services delivered through both the public and private sectors. To ease health system fragmentation and promote more integrated services, Australia should adopt a national approach to quality and performance through an enhanced federal government role in steering policy, funding and priority setting. The states, in turn, should take on a strengthened role as health service providers, with responsibility for primary care devolved to the states to better align it with hospital services and community care. A more strategic role for the centre should also leave room for the strategic development of health services at the regional level, encouraging innovation that is responsive to local population need, particularly in rural and remote areas.
- Cliquez pour accéder
-
Cliquer pour télécharger le fichier PDF - 4.14MBPDF
Executive summary
This report reviews the quality of health care in Australia. It begins by providing an overview of policies and practices aimed at supporting quality of care in Australia (Chapter 1). The report then focuses on three areas that are of particular importance for Australia’s health system at present: the organisation of primary health care (Chapter 2), the implementation of national standards for hospital accreditation (Chapter 3), and rural and remote health care (Chapter 4). In examining these areas, this report assesses the quality of care provided, seeks to highlight good practice, and provides a series of targeted assessments and recommendations for further improvements to quality of care.
- Cliquez pour accéder
-
Cliquer pour télécharger le fichier PDF - 345.72KBPDF