Private hospitals service provision

APHA facts on private hospitals

Private hospitals provide a wide range of services and are an integral part of the Australian health system. For patients, it is important to have a range of choice, so it is possible to opt for the delivery of care that is best for them.

The following information describes the services provided by the private hospitals sector in Australia.

About this document

• Provide 2 in 5 hospitalisations (41%) in Australia

• Employ 60,387 FTE staff including 34,485 FTE nurses (2012-13)

• Had an income of $11.8 billion and capital expenditure of $713 million (2012-13)

Private hospitals

• Private hospitals treat 2 in 5 of all patients in Australia

Admitted patient care

41%

59%

Private Public

Private hospitals and day surgeries provide the following broad categories of service:

Service categories

Medical37%

Surgical 36%

Special-ist

mental health

4%

Childbirth2%

Other 21%

Private hospital patient cohorts

Private health insur-ance 83%

Self-funded7%

Department of Veterans' Affairs

5%Public patients 3%Workers compensa-

tion2%

Motor vehicle third party personal claim

0%Other 1%

• In 2011–12, private hospitals provided procedures and treatments for 704 of the 708 Australian Refined Diagnostic-Related Groups (AR-DRGs) performed in public hospitals.

• The 4 procedures not performed in private hospitals were: – Liver transplants – Lung or heart/lung transplants – Heart transplants– Tracheostomy with ventilation > 95 hours (W catastrophic CC)

Service provision

Private hospitals and day surgeries perform 2 in 3 elective surgeries in Australia

Elective surgery

Private hospitals and day surgeries perform 3 in 5 acute surgeries in Australia

Acute surgery

Private hospitals and day clinics provide more than 45% of chemotherapy treatments.

Chemotherapy treatment

Private Same-day 46%

Public Same-day 26%

Public Outpa-tient 28%

Private hospitals and day surgeries perform more than 70% of eye surgeries.

Eye surgery

Private hospitals and day surgeries perform nearly half (46%) of all heart surgeries in Australia.

Cardiac procedures

Private hospitals treat 70% of people admitted for rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation services

Private psychiatric hospitals care for nearly 32,000 people per year.

Psychiatric services

Private hospitals and day surgeries treat 2 in 5 hospitalisations where the patient is aged 65 or older.

Serving older Australians

Private hospitals and day surgeries admit 2 in 3 veterans who need treatment.

Serving Australian veterans

• ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2014. Private hospitals, Australia 2012–13. ABS cat. no. 4390.0. Canberra: ABS.

• AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2015. Admitted patient care 2013–14: Australian hospital statistics . Health services series no. 60. Cat. no. HSE 156. Canberra: AIHW.

• PMHA (Private Mental Health Alliance) 2014. Annual statistical report: 2012–13.

Sources