Health Policy In Australia

Paul Dugdale argues that Australia's health policy scene is in rude health, with regular debates about major reform and a steady stream of minor reforms. What motivates these debates and reforms? How can nine governments, and scores of professional associations, charities and businesses interact effectively without a master plan? Why are some health policy changes met with widespread enthusiasm and others enormous resistance? Dugdale traces the history of the economic and social forces which have shaped Australia's health system. He examines the thinking of government as it is expressed through contemporary health policy, and the roles of the key players including hospitals, the medical profession and health departments. He also discusses major current concerns including Indigenous health, health finance, the medical labour market, health protection and safety issues. With its insider's perspective on the health system and policy debates, Doing Health Policy in Australia is essential reading for health professionals working in management and policy roles. Paul Dugdale's account of health policy in Australia is engaging, philosophical, reflective and socially informed. - Professor Stephen Leeder, University of Sydney A distinctive addition to the pantheon of Australian books on health policy, weaving together social theory, history and philosophy with reflective commentaries on the Australian health system and health policy, and on being an activist within the policy-making world. It challenges convention and standard expectations. - Professor Vivian Lin, La Trobe University

A updated overview of Australia’s health care system, addressing its core features, concepts and issues Understanding the Australian Health Care System, 2nd edition is an excellent university book for undergraduate and postgraduate students alike. Published four years after the original, this second edition has been fully revised to reflect major Australian health care reform. Its fully up-to-date content includes current governmental and legislative changes impacting Australia’s health care system. Other topics addressed include quality and safety within the system, health insurance in Australia – both public and private – the PBS and integrated medicine. This outstanding medical book delves deeply into the system’s theoretical framework, structure and organisation and includes comparisons with the US and UK health care systems. This new edition of Understanding the Australian Health Care System will be a valuable reference for those studying health science, health promotion, sports and exercise science, physiotherapy, human services, nursing, midwifery, medicine, paramedicine, health system management, medical radiations science and health informatics. Online student and instructor resources Stronger focus on social determinants throughout text Addresses a wide range of health professions – now including disability professionals and social workers Current theoretical framework for healthcare reform (Tuohy 2009) Stronger focus on social determinants throughout text Addresses current position on national registration Features an excellent ancillary package on Elsevier’s Evolve platform Includes three new chapters addressing: disability professionals; quality and safety; and social work Reflects major health care reform in Australia (COAG 2009) Discusses current theoretical framework for healthcare reform (Tuohy 2009) New contributors

A century ago, health services absorbed few resources and provided little benefit. Since then, advances in medical knowledge and techniques have escalated both the benefits and the costs. The affordability of health services is being questioned in even the richest countries, and the economic aspects of health policy have become ever more intrusive. Australia is no exception, with its health system now absorbing 19% of all government tax revenue. Familiarity with economic issues - such as how to assess health outcomes, how to assign resources efficiently and what financial arrangements will promote equity as well as efficiency - is essential to understanding health policy. This is especially so at a time when the economics of health care are being internationally re-examined, with new forms of competition, challenges to public ownership and case-mix funding of hospitals under scrutiny, and a re-evaluation of the benefits of pharmaceuticals and new technologies underway. Economics and Australian Health Policy offers this understanding to readers with and without formal economic training. It starts with an introduction to both the economic way of thinking about health systems, and the context in which those economic questions are raised - the structure of the Australian health system, its culture and its patterns of financial flows. It then describes and appraises from an economic perspective the major components of the system and the policy issues which arise. This collection has been specially commissioned to address both Australia's most pressing policy issues and the needs of public health and health economic policy-makers, academics, commentators and students. The list of contributors reads like a who's who in Australian health economics, who have been encouraged, clearly successfully, to write accessibly yet with authority and conviction.

A sound understanding of Australia’s complex health system is essential for all health professionals who work and collaborate with others in delivering health care. The fifth edition of Understanding the Australian Health Care System provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the structure of the health system, its various functions and the various roles within it. Logically structured and easy to follow, the resource covers aspects of health system structure and function, health insurance, the PBS, complementary and alternate medicine, current governmental and legislative changes, and comparison to other high-income countries. This overview places into context the 12 health professions and their roles, emphasising the importance of interprofessional practice. Fully updated to reflect current policy, trends and environment, and how these impact on the health care system, practitioners and consumers, this book is an excellent resource for those undertaking health and medical undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Updated to reflect current policy and health environment Explores the roles of 12 health professions with a focus on inter-professional practice Case studies and accompanying video interviews with practitioners and thought leaders bring theory to life Test Bank to support learning Full range of instructor resources on Evolve Student resources on Evolve: • Discipline-specific case studies • 11 video interviews and transcripts Instructor resources on Evolve: • PowerPoints • Tutorial Planner • Test Bank Greater emphasis on interprofessional practice Considerations of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on health care delivery and workforce New section on aged care, considering the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety New chapter on social work Includes changing scope of practice of nurse practitioners, podiatry and occupational therapy New sections on the regulation of paramedics with the introduction of Ahpra Paramedicine Board of Australia registration

This text provides details of the Australian health system and of the main political influences and the theoretical and conceptual underpinning for decisions and trends in health and health care.

This updated and revised 5th edition of the highly successful book Health Care and Public Policy: An Australian Analysis, provides a comprehensive analysis of health care and public policy in Australia. It explains what governments have done and what they can do about shaping Australia’s health care system, and considers the political, economic, social and epidemiological contexts within which health policies develop, and the forces that promote and oppose change. This new edition revises all relevant data and provides a thorough analysis of the major policy shifts and changes since 2010. Recent changes include the commitment of the Commonwealth government to undertake major reforms to the funding and organisation of health services in Australia which were incorporated in the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) and accepted by all States and Territories in 2011. Health Care and Public Policy is an invaluable text for students in health administration, health planning, social work and social administration as well as students in all health-related courses and those working in health care, either in policy or service delivery.