General data specifications
Various aspects of the structure and specifications of the data are presented in Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3. For information on what aspects of health service use are included in the data set, refer to details on each of the main sources of the data below.
Type of data | Aspect | Extent/scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
All | Geographic extent | National | Excludes Other territories, non-spatial special purpose codes (Migratory – Offshore – Shipping and No Usual Address) as well as records which could not be mapped to geo-located 2016 ASGS SA4 |
Admitted patient hospitalisations | Years of data available | 2002–03 to 2021–22 |
|
Emergency department presentations | Years of data available | 2014–15 to 2021–22 | Sufficient quality diagnosis records are not available for earlier years |
Medicare Benefits Schedule service claims | Years of data available | 2002–03 to 2021–22 | For claims processed up to 7 August 2023 |
PBS/RPBS prescriptions dispensed | Years of data available | 2002–03 to 2021–22 |
|
ASGS = Australian Statistical Geography Standard
PBS/RPBS = Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits
SA4 = Statistical Area Level 4.
Type of data | Grouping element | Relevant source data field | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Admitted patient hospitalisations | 2016 ASGS SA4 | Patient's area of usual residence | Structure used for coding of area of residence in source data varies over time; source structure is mapped to 2016 ASGS SA4s1 |
Emergency department presentations | 2016 ASGS SA4 | Patient's area of usual residence | Structure used for coding of area of residence in source data varies over time; source structure is mapped to 2016 ASGS SA4s1 |
Medicare Benefits Schedule service claims | 2016 ASGS SA4 | Postcode of patient's Medicare enrolment address at time of processing the claim | Postcodes are mapped to 2016 ASGS SA4s2 |
PBS/RPBS prescriptions dispensed | 2016 ASGS SA4 | Postcode of patient's Medicare enrolment address at date of supply | Postcodes are mapped to 2016 ASGS SA4s2 |
ASGS = Australian Statistical Geography Standard
PBS/RPBS = Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits
SA4 = Statistical Area Level 4
Notes
- The geographical schema used in the source data collections varies over time: 2016 ASGS SA2 was recorded for 2017–18 to 2021–22; 2011 ASGS SA2 for 2012–13 to 2016–17; and in prior years, the relevant reference year Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Statistical Local Area (SLA) was recorded. For the current data set, the ASGC geographies were mapped to the 2011 ASGS SA2 structure using the relevant annual probabilistic (population-weighted) mapping file from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The 2011 ASGS geography was then mapped to the 2016 ASGS SA4 using another probabilistic (population-weighted) ABS mapping file applied at the SA2 level.
- Postcodes are mapped to 2016 ASGS SA4s using a probabilistic 2016 (population-weighted) AIHW mapping file (based on an ABS correspondence file).
Type of data | Grouping element | Relevant source data field | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Admitted patient hospitalisations | Weeks (Monday to Sunday) | Date of admission | Differs from usual AIHW reporting of hospitalisations, that is, by date of separation |
Emergency Department presentations | Weeks (Monday to Sunday) | Date of presentation |
|
Medicare Benefits Schedule service claims | Weeks (Monday to Sunday) | Date of service provision |
|
PBS/RPBS prescriptions dispensed | Weeks (Monday to Sunday) | Date prescription dispensed |
|
PBS/RPBS = Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.