AIHW calls for submissions on new elective surgery urgency categories

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has today called for public submissions to assist with the development of new national elective surgery urgency categories.

The new categories, to be used in all Australian public hospitals, will be designed to enable more consistent, comparable, transparent and meaningful reporting of waiting times data, both within and across states and territories.

Enhanced waiting times data, when applied to elective surgery waiting list management, will benefit patients and their families, clinicians, policy makers and service managers.

The AIHW will work with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to ensure an appropriate balance between standardisation of practice and clinical decision making when assigning urgency categories.

The two organisations will consult with Commonwealth and state and territory health authorities, and surgical and other clinical groups, but are also seeking submissions from other interested organisations and the public.

Written submissions can be made by either post or email to:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

Submissions should be marked ‘National Definitions for Elective Surgery Urgency Categories’.

Submissions closed: Friday 27 April 2012, 5pm (local Canberra time)

All submissions will be published on the AIHW website, unless confidentiality is requested.

For further information about the submission process or the development process for new national definitions for elective surgery urgency categories please visit National definitions for elective surgery urgency categories.

The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.

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