Same-day admitted patient care occurs when the patient is admitted and separated on the same day. This section reports on same-day acute care (referred to as same-day care), where the care was not for rehabilitation or other non-acute care (which together made up 3.5% of same-day care).
In 2010–11, 4.9 million, or 58% of separations, were same-day acute care separations. This included 2.6 million or 50% of separations from public hospitals and 2.3 million or 64% of separations from private hospitals.
Between 2006–07 and 2010–11, the proportion of same-day separations increased from 54.7% to 55.8%. On average, the number of same-day separations increased by 3.6% per year for public hospitals, and 5.5% per year for private hospitals.
Who used these services?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were hospitalised on a same-day basis at about three times the rate of other Australians. Almost one in four same-day separations were for care involving dialysis (over 1.2 million). After excluding dialysis, the rate of same-day separations for Indigenous Australians was lower than the rate for other Australians (132 and 161 per 1,000 population, respectively, Figure 36).
Persons usually resident in Very remote areas had 301 same-day separations per 1,000 population, compared with 213 per 1,000 nationwide.
Same-day separation rates were similar for different socioeconomic status groups, ranging from 202 per 1,000 population for the second lowest SES group to 222 per 1,000 for the middle SES group.
How urgent was the care?
About 72% of same-day separations were for elective care, 11% were for emergency care and about 17% were other care (not assigned) (Figure 37).
Why did people receive this care?
The most common principal diagnoses for same-day acute separations were:
- care involving dialysis (over 1.2 million separations for kidney failure)
- other medical care (359,000 separations, mainly chemotherapy for cancer)
- cataract (162,000 separations).
What care was provided?
In public hospitals, over three quarters of same-day separations were for medical care (including specialist mental health). In private hospitals, about 36% of same-day separations were for medical care and about 33% were for surgical care.
Around 7.4 million procedures were reported for same-day separations. In public hospitals, about 80% of same-day separations involved a procedure and in private hospitals about 97% of same-day separations involved a procedure (2.2 million).
The most common procedure was haemodialysis, followed by pharmacotherapy (includes chemotherapy).
Who paid for the care?
In public hospitals, almost 87% of same-day separations were public patients.
In private hospitals, private health insurance funded about 79% of same-day separations.