Appendix C: Service related groups

The Service Related Group (SRG) classification can be used to help plan services, analyse and compare hospital activity, examine patterns of service needs and access, and project potential trends in services.

The SRG classification categorises admitted patient episodes into groups representing specialised clinical units or divisions of hospital activity, based on aggregations of AR-DRGs.

This report uses SRG version 5.0, developed by the New South Wales Ministry of Health, which assigns SRGs based on AR-DRG version 7.0.

SRGs were allocated using the data in the NHMD. While the method largely involves aggregations of AR-DRG information, the assignment of some separations to SRGs is based on other information, such as procedures, diagnoses and care types. Separations with non‑acute care are allocated to separate SRG categories according to the type of care, because the main service type of these separations cannot be ascertained from their diagnoses or procedures.

For public hospitals, separations may have been assigned to the Perinatology SRG depending on whether or not the hospital had a specialist neonatal intensive care unit, as reported to the NPHED. For private hospitals, the Perinatology SRG was not assigned as the available data do not indicate whether the hospital had a specialist neonatal intensive care unit. Therefore, all private hospital Newborns with qualified days were assigned to the SRG Qualified neonate. An ‘unallocated’ SRG was assigned for separations with an Error DRG.

Activity in 2017–18

This appendix provides supplementary information on the level of activity for each SRG for public and private hospitals (measured using the number of separations and patient days).

Table 5.7, available to download from the Data section of this report, presents the 20 most common specialised clinical units for public hospitals—by remoteness area of hospital and by peer group, respectively. The number of specialised clinical units was based on the number of hospitals for which there were at least 360 patient days reported for the SRG.

Table C2, available to download from the Data section of this report, contains the number of separations and patient days in each SRG for public and private hospitals.

Renal dialysis (SRG 23) had the largest number of separations in public hospitals (1.21 million). This was followed by General medicine (SRG 27) (561,000). In the private sector, Diagnostic gastrointestinal (SRG 16) recorded the highest number of separations (463,000), followed by Rehabilitation (SRG 84) (372,000).

Rehabilitation (SRG 84) recorded the highest number of patient days (1.97 million) in public hospitals, followed by Psychiatry/mental health—acute (SRG 82) (1.89 million).

For private hospitals, Rehabilitation (SRG 84) recorded the highest number of patient days (1.42 million), followed by Orthopaedics (SRG 49) (928,000).

Where to go for more information

Detailed SRG information for public and private hospitals, by state and territory see Tables CS.1 to CS.6.

Tables CS.1 and C.S2 contain the number of public hospitals that, in 2017–18, reported more than 50 separations or more than 360 patient days for each SRG by state and territory and public hospital peer groups, respectively. These tables have been included as indicative measures of the number of specialised clinical units.

These tables are available to download in the Data section of this report.

References

NCCC (National Casemix and Classification Centre) 2012. Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups, version 7.0. Wollongong: University of Wollongong.