Australia - Better data the key to hospital performance

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 22, Issue 5

Keywords: Performance measures, Quality improvement, Waiting lists, Australia

The recent controversy over reporting by some Victorian hospitals of waiting list data highlights the need for improved data collection and the development of appropriate performance indicators for hospitals, according to the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA).

The AHHA is the peak national body representing public hospitals, area health services, community health centres and public aged care providers.

“The public hospital system is important to the community and the community has a right to know their hospitals are performing relative to each other, and over time. This requires accurate and comprehensive data collection and the development of a transparent system of performance measurement”, Ms Power said.

“To achieve this, AHHA has proposed the development of a National Set of Key Performance Indicators to monitor the performance of all hospitals and health services. This would involve the collection of data relevant to these indicators, which would be fed back to providers and used to inform internal quality improvement processes. This data would also be made publicly available to ensure consumers are aware of how their hospital compares with others.

“This system would give us an evidence base for assessing performance over time and enable us to monitor the comparative quality and cost of health services in Australia, compared with those in other countries. It would lead to a reduction in unwanted variation in performance between providers – thus increasing the equity and efficiency of the health system overall.

“Of course, all stakeholders including clinicians, health service managers and consumers, should have input into the development of appropriate performance indicators, to ensure that they reflect their priorities and values.

“AHHA welcomes discussion about hospital performance in the light of the debate over funding for waiting list management, and is working with our members and other health groups to achieve a more transparent and accountable health system. It is vital that we work together to restore community and stakeholder confidence in the quality of Australia’s public hospitals”,Ms Power said.

For more information: www.aushealthcare.com.au