AIHW statistical information on medical indemnity claims in Australia
Medical indemnity claims arise when a person alleges harm or loss due to the faulty actions of a health professional or organisation in their delivery of health care. Medical indemnity claims in the public sector are managed by the state or territory which has jurisdiction over the public hospital or other health facility where the alleged faulty actions occurred. In the private sector, medical indemnity cover is offered to health professionals by private insurers. The Australian Government assists the private sector by covering some or all of the insurance payout arising from very expensive claims.
At the Medical Indemnity Summit in April 2002, Australia's Health Ministers agreeed to the need for a national database on medical indemnity claims. Consequently the Medical Indemnity National Collection (MINC) was established to collate information on the number, nature and costs of public sector medical indemnity claims. Since 2004, after the Australian Government introduced its legislation to assist the private sector, medical indemnity insurers have provided the Australian Government with information on private sector medical indemnity claims. The combination of this information with parallel information from the MINC allows a national picture to be developed on various aspects of medical indemnity.
The AIHW publications on medical indemnity claims, listed below, include those that cover both the public and private sectors, those restricted to the public sector, and those that present the medical indemnity information model and define the data elements.
Medical indemnity claim publications
Public and Private Sector Medical Indemnity Claims in Australia 2005-06: A Summary (2008)
Medical Indemnity National Data Collection Public Sector 2005-06 (2007)
A National Picture of Medical Indemnity Claims in Australia 2004-05 (2007)
Medical Indemnity National Data Collection, Public Sector 2004-05 (2006)
Medical Indemnity National Data Collection, Public Sector 2003 to 2004 (2005)
Medical Indemnity National Collection (Public Sector) Data Guide: Data Items and Definitions 2003-04 (2005)
First Medical Indemnity National Data Collection Report, Public Sector: January to June 2003 (2004)
Last reviewed by Safety and Quality on 16 September 2008