Current funding and financing issues in the Australian hospice and palliative care sector.

Full Abstract

This article overviews current funding and financing issues in the Australian hospice and palliative care sector. Within Australia, the major responsibilities for managing the health care system are shared between two levels of government. Funding arrangements vary according to the type of care. The delivery of palliative care services is a State/Territory responsibility. Recently, almost all States/Territories have developed overarching frameworks to guide the development of palliative care policies, including funding and service delivery structures. Palliative care services in Australia comprise a mix of specialist providers, generalist providers, and support services in the public, nongovernment, and private sectors. The National Palliative Care Strategy is a joint strategy of the Commonwealth and States that commenced in 2002 and includes a number of major issues. Following a national study in 1996, the Australian National Subacute and Nonacute Patient (AN-SNAP) system was endorsed as the national casemix classification for subacute and nonacute care. Funding for palliative care services varies depending on the type of service and the setting in which it is provided. There is no national model for funding inpatient or community services, which is a State/Territory responsibility. A summary of funding arrangements is provided in this article. Palliative care continues to evolve at a rapid rate in Australia. Increasingly flexible evidence-based models of care delivery are emerging. This article argues that it will be critical for equally flexible funding and financing models to be developed. Furthermore, it is critical that palliative care patients can be identified, classified, and costed. Casemix classifications such as AN-SNAP represent an important starting point but further work is required.

Author information

Author/s: Gordon, Robert (R); Eagar, Kathy (K); Currow, David (D); Green, Janette (J);

Affiliation: Centre for Health Service Development, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. robg(-atsign-)uow.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of pain and symptom management (J Pain Symptom Manage), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jul; vol 38 (issue 1) : pp 68-74

Dates: Created 2009/07/20; Completed 2009/09/30;

PMID: 19615629, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/30/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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