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released: 11 Mar 2011 author: AIHW media release

Australia's public sector medical indemnity claims 2007-08 reports data on the number, nature, incidence and costs of medical indemnity claims in the public sector during the financial year from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. Data are also presented on claims closed during the five year period between 2003-04 and 2007-08, and on new claims with a reserve set against them in each of these years. This report describes the allegations of harm that gave rise to claims, the alleged physical and mental effects on claim subjects, the specialties of clinicians involved, and the size, duration and outcomes of the medical indemnity claims.

ISSN 1833-7422; ISBN 978-1-74249-128-8; Cat. no. HSE 105; 120pp.; Internet only

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material
    • Title and verso pages
    • Contents
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations
    • Symbols
    • Summary
      • Public sector claims for 2007-08
      • Changes over time for new claims 2003-04 to 2007-08
      • Public sector claims closed between 2003-04 and 2007-08
      • Obstetrics-related claims
  • Body section
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 The collection
      • 2.1 Scope and context
      • 2.2 Policy, administrative and legal context
        • Claims management
      • 2.3 Data items
      • 2.4 Data coverage, quality and completeness
        • Data coverage and completeness
        • Missing data
        • Data quality
          • Not known rates
          • Data cleaning of the collection
      • 2.5 Reporting the collection's claim characteristics
    • 3 Public sector medical indemnity claims for 2007-08
      • 3.1 All claims, 2007-08
        • Clinical service context
        • Primary incident/allegation type
        • Specialties of clinicians
        • Primary body function/structure affected
        • Extent of harm
      • 3.2 Current claims at 30 June 2008
        • Reserve range and principal clinician specialty
        • Reserve range and duration
      • 3.3 Closed claims, 2007-08
        • Total claim size and mode of settlement
        • Extent of harm
      • 3.4 New claims, 2007-08
    • 4 Changes over time to public sector medical indemnity claims, 2003-04 to 2007-08
      • 4.1 Claim numbers
      • 4.2 Clinical service context and principal clinician specialty
      • 4.3 Primary body function/structure affected and primary incident/allegation type
        • New claims in 2007-08
      • 4.4 Extent of harm
      • 4.5 Mode of settlement and claim size
    • 5 Public sector medical indemnity claims closed between 2003-04 and 2007-08
      • 5.1 Alleged health care incidents leading to claims
        • Clinical service context
        • Primary incident/allegation type
        • Principal clinician specialty
        • Primary body function/structure affected
        • Claim subject patient admission status
        • Geographic location
      • 5.2 Administrative and financial characteristics of closed claims
        • Length and cost of claims
        • Mode of settlement
        • Clinical service context and cost of claims
        • Primary incident/allegation type, primary body function/structure affected and cost of claims
        • Allegations of loss and cost of claims
      • 5.3 Sex and age of claim subjects
        • Clinical service context
        • Primary incident/allegation type
        • Primary body function/structure affected
        • Total claim size
    • 6 Obstetrics claims
      • Principal clinician specialty
      • Geographic location
      • Primary body function/structure affected
      • Extent of harm and number of loss categories
      • Primary incident/allegation type and total claim size
  • End matter
    • Appendixes
      • Appendix 1 Background to the MINC collection
        • Background to the collection
        • Collaborative arrangements
        • Purposes of the collection
      • Appendix 2 MINC data items and key terms
      • Appendix 3 Policy, administrative and legal features in each jurisdiction
        • New South Wales
        • Victoria
        • Queensland
        • Western Australia
        • South Australia
        • Tasmania
        • Australian Capital Territory
        • Northern Territory
      • Appendix 4 Body function/structure categories
    • References
    • List of tables
    • List of figures and boxes

Recommended citation

AIHW 2011. Australia's public sector medical indemnity claims 2007-08. Safety and quality of health care no. 8. Cat. no. HSE 105. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 13 June 2013 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737418386>.