The number of patients being treated in both public and private
hospitals in Australia each year continues to increase according to
Australian Hospital Statistics 1996-97 a new report from
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Between 1995-96 and
1996-97, the number of separations in public acute hospitals
increased by 2% to over 3.6 million. In private hospitals the
increase was 7% to 1.7 million. Overall, 32% of admissions are now
to private hospitals. (For most purposes, a separation can be
referred to as an episode in hospital.)
Report co-author, Ms Jenny Hargreaves, said that the increase in
throughput in hospitals can be explained by the decline in the
average length of stay. In public acute hospitals it declined from
4.3 to 4.2 days, and in private hospitals from 3.7 to 3.5 days. Ms
Hargreaves said 'This is associated with the increasing proportion
of same day hospital stays.'
In public acute hospitals 42% of hospital episodes were same day
separations, and 51% of private hospital episodes were for same day
separations.
On an age-standardised basis, the pattern of hospital usage
results in separations for Indigenous patients being 86% higher
(531 per 1,000) than for the overall Australian population (285 per
1,000). Ms Hargreaves said that 'it is likely that identification
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients is incomplete and
that the figures for them are underestimated.'
Australian Hospital Statistics also looks at the costs
of an episode in hospital. Dr Janis Shaw, the report's co-author,
said that for the first time, the cost per casemix-adjusted
separation has been included in Australian Hospital Statistics
however comparisons between states remain problematic.
Casemix-adjustment accounts for differences in the complexity of
cases treated in different hospitals. In 1996-97 the cost in public
acute hospitals was $2,496 nationally. In NSW it was $2586,
Victoria $2353, Queensland $2354, South Australia $2309, and $3689
in the Australian Capital Territory.
Other findings in Australian Hospital Statistics include:
- Principal diagnoses in the National Health Priority Areas of
cardiovascular health, cancer control, injury prevention and
control, mental health, and diabetes accounted for over 41% of
total patient days in all hospitals during 1996-97.
- For all hospitals, the population over 65 years of age - which
comprised 12% of the total Australian population, accounted for 30%
of separations. There were 727 separations per 1,000 population for
this age group compared with an overall crude rate of 289 per 1,000
for the total population.
- The number of separations of private patients in public acute
hospitals has been in decline for several years. In 1996-97, 10.9%
of public hospital patients were private patients, down from 16.5%
in 1993-94.
29 June 1998
Further information: Ms Jenny Hargreaves, ph.
02 6244 1121, or Dr Janis Shaw, ph. 02 6244 1120.
For media copies of the report: Ms Lena Searle,
ph. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications Catalogue
for details.