Hospital to community: How Australians with heart failure receive health care

This data set contains unit record level data on admitted patient episodes, which are drawn from the National Hospital Morbidity Database. Records are provided by all public hospitals in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory from July 2010 to June 2021. Private hospitals data (where available) for Victoria from July 2010 to June 2017, for Queensland from July 2010 to June 2021 and for the Australian Capital Territory from July 2010 to June 2019, are also included. Analysis by hospital sector or state and territory is not included in this report. 

In this analysis, the admitted patient care data set was used to identify the index hospitalisation, prior hospitalisation history and subsequent hospital readmissions. This data set also provided demographic information and experience of other in-scope health conditions comorbidity data.

This data set contains records from non-admitted patients treated in public hospital emergency departments. Records are provided by New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. 

The National Death Index contains records of all deaths occurring in Australia. This data set was used to identify deaths in the 18 months after index hospital discharge.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (RPBS) include dispensed medicines that are subsidised by the Australian Government. Patients’ concessional status determines which co-payment they pay for their PBS/RPBS prescriptions. Government subsidies for prescription medicines are available to all Australian residents who hold a current Medicare card, and to overseas visitors from countries with which Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. PBS data cover all prescriptions dispensed by approved suppliers, including community pharmacies, public and private hospital pharmacies and dispensing doctors.

The PBS does not include over-the-counter medications that do not require a prescription, private prescriptions, or medicines supplied to admitted patients in public hospitals. However, prescriptions provided to patients on discharge and to non-admitted patients in all states and territories (except New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory) are included on the PBS.

The data set provided information on the date of supply, medicine name, quantity supplied, form and strength. PBS data were used to measure number of medications and medication subgroups dispensed, and use of heart failure related medications before and after the index hospitalisation.

The MBS provided information on government-funded health service use in the community. Derived measures were:

• contact with community-based health care services
• time till first GP contact after the index hospitalisation 
• the number of GP services 
• continuity of GP care.

Note that, as the MBS does not include services listed under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs National Treatment Account, and non-government subsidised health services, these data provide an underestimate of health care use in the community. 

The National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse Residential Aged care data included episode-level records from all government-subsidised residential aged care services, including permanent residential aged care and respite residential aged care. The data included entry and exit dates for periods spent in residential aged care, and whether this care was permanent or respite care.

This data was used to measure the use of residential aged care prior to and after index hospitalisations.