The Chief Executive of the Australian Health Insurance Association, Dr Michael Armitage today welcomed the Government’s decision to publish hospital acquired infection rates on the MyHospitals website as an important step towards improving health outcomes for all Australians.
He congratulated the Government on moving towards greater transparency, in a move which he said “will be welcomed by consumers and which is long overdue”.
“The expansion of MyHospitals from a website which provides information on patient admissions and services available to one which includes safety and quality performance indicators will give health consumers the option to make better informed decisions about their health care,” he said.
“It is hoped that the Government will continue to expand the content of the MyHospitals website. All Australians should be able to access information on the performance of our health system, including the publication of Hospital Standardised Mortality Rates, infection rates and readmission rates in both the Public and the Private Sectors.
“This is information which is freely available to health consumers in many countries and Australians should not be denied access to the same basic information which will allow them to make important decisions about their treatment and care.
“The AHIA has been an advocate of improved transparency on the basis that international studies show the publication of information on individual hospitals leads to better informed consumers, resulting in improved health outcomes.
“Next month the AHIA Annual Conference will hear from “Dr Foster”, which is the UK’s leading provider of comparative health care information. The Dr Foster website www.drfosterhealth.co.uk monitors the performance of the National Health Service and the Providers of Health Care to enable health care users to make better informed decisions. Chief Executive Tim Baker will speak to Industry representatives about the contribution the service has made to improving health outcomes in the UK.
Media contact: Jen Eddy 02 62021000