The Australian Health System: A Case Study

A visit to the emergency department (ED) is usually associated with negative thoughts by most people. It creates preconceived images of overcrowded waiting rooms and routine long waits for treatment (Jarousse, 2011). From 1996 to 2006, ED visits increased annually from 90.3 million to 119.2 million (32% increase). During this same time period, the number of EDs has declined by 186 facilities creating the age old lower supply and greater demand concept (Crane & Noon, 2011). There are many contributing factors that have led to an increase in ED visits. A few of these key drivers include lack of primary care access, rising of the uninsured population, dwindling mental health services, and the growing elderly

The health care system varies from country to country although a factor they all have in common is that great measures of research are taken in order to find results and achieve a good health care system for the economy. Between Australia and japan, there are great initiatives taken to help in association to this, including economic, social and political circumstances, all influencing the way in which the countries health care system is shaped and run.

The Australian healthcare system has been evolving since the beginning of the colonisation of Australia. Today, Australia has an extremely efficient healthcare system although it still has several issues. The influencing factors, structure, and current issues of the Australian healthcare system will be throughly discussed and explained in this essay.

The following paper is based on the differences between two healthcare systems in two different countries, these systems are the Australian healthcare system which is Medicare, and England’s National health system which is known as the NHS.

The Australian health care system is a highly functioning and accessible system based on universal principles of access and equity. In this essay I will discuss the historical evolution and current structure of our health system, identifying current health service models of delivery and look at its strengths, weaknesses, policies and health priorities currently in Australia. I will discuss the roles of government and non-government health services in service provision and funding sources of Australian health. We will get a better insight of the role of standards for residential aged care and look into a broad range of professions that consumers may engage with in health service delivery, their roles and functions of each profession.

When focusing on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Systems strategies for improvement with unnecessary emergency room visits, a major key area is accessibility to health care at the appropriate health care setting. For many years, there has been the perception that the emergency department is the only place for someone who is uninsured or underinsured can go to receive the needed and appropriate health care, and in some situations that may be the case. (Rhodes et al, 2013, p.394) Due to the decreases in reimbursements for the publicly funded, more and more physicians are opting out to treating these patients, thus leading to an increase in emergency department utilization. According to a study conducted by Rhodes, Bisgaier, Lawson, Soglen, Krug, and Haitsma, this is becoming a greater concern for the

The implications and effects on patients waiting long hours to be seen in the ED are immense. In a recent study done over five years in Ontario hospitals showed the risk of adverse events and even deaths increased with the length of stay in the ED (Science Daily, 2011). When EDs become overcrowded the quality of care changes and declines; which is extremely dangerous. Authors of the study calculated that if ED length of stay was cut by only an hour that 150 fewer Ontarians would die each year (Science Daily, 2011). Wait times can also negatively affect patients financially, untreated medical conditions can lead to reduced productivity and inability to work leading to increased financial strains (Fraser Institute, 2014). As well as delayed access to care can result in more complex interventions needed. Therefore an initiative is needed to provide patients with timely, efficient care when accessing

“The Australian health care system is a highly functioning and accessible system based on universal principles of access and equity”.

al., 2011). Health service accessibility by individuals in rural and remote areas is a problem central to both countries. Reports indicate that compared with metropolitan populations, non-metropolitan populations, in both Australia and the UK, experience poor access to health services (Watt, Franks, Sheldon, 1994, p. 16). As in the primary care sector of the UK, majority of the doctors in Australia are self-employed and reimbursed on a fee-for-service approach (Gillies, 2003, p. 77). GP’s are the initial point of contact for patients in both Australia and the UK. Additional specialist medical services such as physiotherapy and optometry are only available when patients are provided with a formal referral from their GPs (Piterman, Koritsas, 2005). Although the NHS is similar to the Australian health system in certain ways, both systems also possess some differences.

Key Historical, Key political and Key socio-cultural influence that have shaped healthcare access in contemporary Australian society.

I think that Canadian health care system can be used as guide in the U.S territories. The reason

This assignment will demonstrate an understanding through an overview of the New Zealand Healthcare System including its purpose, how and why it was initially established. It will also discuss the impact that colonisation has had on Māori historically and how the effects are still problematic in New Zealand’s current society, which is evident through statistical information that is available on Māori Health and the socioeconomic status of the Māori people. It will also illustrate the principals within Te Tiriti o Waitangi that directly relate to the way pharmacy practices are maintained. Furthermore it will also discuss the roles of The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) and the District Health Boards (DHBs) in delivering mechanisms for medicine delivery to the current pharmacy services that are provided.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) applied to the ACCC for authorisation to general practitioners to engage in price setting and collective bargaining. The authorisation was to cover GPs engaging in the conduct who practise in a single general practise where they operated in partnerships.

First of all, Rosie will be provided treatment with better quality. A hospital is more likely to provide expert care due to the number of specialists present. An emergency department would offer clinical quality as accessibility to diagnosis and clinical practices will be present immediately. Bodenheimer, T. S., and Grumbach, K. (2009) argue that direct access by Rosie to an ED is a less unified model of care, however, it may allow access to specialists with better experience at managing her individual condition of asthma. According to Health Evidence Network (2004), advance resource allocation in most countries, including NZ, still favours hospitals. In a study conducted by Jollis et al, (1996), (as cited by Health Evidence Network, 2004), it was discovered that specialists perform better than generalists when managing certain conditions. According to another study conducted by Schoen, C., et al. (2004), 51% of New Zealander’s surveyed rated the emergency care services as excellent or very good. Secondly, Rosie would have a cost advantage, as there is no co-payment and she will be covered by the general health care. Hospitals manage highly complex and specialized impatient health care needs, therefore if Rosie visits an ED, she will be receiving quality treatment for free. Jantrana, S. & Crampton, P. (2009) had noticed in their study that even those patients who were enrolled with a GP, seeked care in hospital emergency departments because of

Brief overview: Australian is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Emergency medical services in Australia are granted by state ambulance services, which are separated of each state or territorial government, and by St John Ambulance in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Ambulance service in Australia can be serialized into two groups; the statutory services and volunteer groups. In Australian states, with the exclusion of Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, statutory ambulance services are granted by the state/territorial government, as a single-entity, third-service model, government