Authored by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care with medical journalist Nicole MacKee
Patients falling through the cracks Preventable hospitalisation rate unacceptable: Fourth Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation
Mr James Downie, CEO of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority
A fragmented healthcare system and poor access to care are contributing to high rates of potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPHs) in some areas of Australia, according to the latest report on healthcare variation. Launched last month, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s Fourth Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation (the Atlas) covers 17 healthcare items across six clinical areas. These are: potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPHs); early planned birth; lumbar spinal surgery; ear, nose and throat surgery in children and young people; gastrointestinal investigations; and medicines use in older people.
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The Health Advocate • MAY 2021
Potentially preventable hospitalisations The Atlas reports that in 2017-18 there were more than 330,000 PPHs in Australia due to five conditions examined in the Atlas. PPHs — hospitalisations that could have been avoided with earlier, appropriate care — are an indicator in the National Healthcare Agreement. Some of the most common reasons for a PPH include three chronic conditions and two common infections: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney infections and urinary tract infections, cellulitis, heart failure, and diabetes complications. After age and sex standardisation, the Atlas reports wide variation in hospitalisation rates
