Provision of Services in Private Hospitals
Private hospitals are a vital partner with the public sector in the provision of a wide range of services. The private hospitals sector is very diverse and includes a wide range of facilities and ownership structures.
While some of the large acute medical/surgical private hospitals provide similar services to their public sector counterparts, this holds true largely in the densely populated metropolitan areas. For the most part, private hospitals are quite different from public hospitals in size and types of services offered.
For example, private facilities in the mental health sector provide treatment for quite distinct conditions to those treated in the public sector. The majority of chemotherapy treatment for people with cancer is delivered in the private sector. Most of the rehabilitation for people who have had accidents, injuries or falls is provided in private hospitals, where patients needing in-hospital rehabilitation are transferred after surgery and recovery in the public or private sectors to a private rehabilitation hospital. And nearly all in-hospital palliative care services for the dying are private hospitals, especially in regional Australia.
Contrary to the views expressed by some commentators, the private hospitals sector DOES provide a comprehensive range of services; DOES treat older patients; DOES NOT merely provide ‘profitable’ services (whatever these may actually be); DOES provide training for medical staff; DOES provide safe and quality services; and DOES contribute significantly to the balance and sustainability of the Australian health system, as is illustrated by the data below.
- Private hospitals treat 40% of all patients in Australia.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- In 2008-09, private hospitals admitted 3.1 million patients.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- Private hospitals perform the majority of elective surgery in Australia – 64%.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- Of the top 10 (in volume) treatments provided by both public and private hospitals, five are identical procedures – with private hospitals performing the majority in four of the five.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- Numerous complex procedures and treatments – traditionally associated solely with public hospitals – now have private hospitals undertaking the bulk of work, for example:
- Private hospitals also perform 47% of all cardiac valve procedures and provide 46% of all hospital-based psychiatric care.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- Of the total 665 different procedures and treatments undertaken in Australian hospitals, private hospitals provide 662. The remaining three were heart, lung or liver transplants.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009.
- In 2008-09, private hospitals treated some 500,600 accident and emergency cases.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Private Hospitals Australia 2008-09.
- Private hospitals treat over 1.2 million patients aged 65+ each year. This age group represented 37% of all private hospital admissions in 2008-09, slightly higher than public hospitals at 36% over the same period.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09.
- In 2008-09, 5.4% of total private hospital treatments were for patients aged 85 years and older. In public hospitals, 5.8% of total treatments were for this age group.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09.
- In 2008-09 private hospitals treated 204,000 DVA patients, (62.3% of all DVA-funded patients).
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09.
- In 2008-09 public hospitals treated 452,000 privately insured patients. In the same year, private hospitals treated 100,000 public patients.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09.
