Australian healthcare professionals have drafted a blueprint they say will revolutionise a system that is fragmented and deliver value-based care.
The blueprint, called "Healthy people, healthy systems", makes four recommendations the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association says will take the politics and finger-pointing out of reform.
The first recommendation is to set up an independent national health authority that reports directly to the Council of Australian Governments or the COAG Health Council. This would allow for a nationally unified and regionally controlled health system, AHHA chief executive Alison Verhoeven said in a statement.
The others are requiring all government-funded health providers to provide data on patient outcomes to help gauge performance, creating a national health workforce strategy that looks at roles and responsibilities rather than location, and maintaining Commonwealth funding for public hospitals but with a mixed funding formula.
'Over the past nine months Australian health leaders mapped out how to transform our healthcare system into a fit for purpose 21st century system that will meet the needs and expectations of Australians," Ms Verhoeven said.
"Healthy people, healthy systems is a solid blueprint with a range of short, medium and long-term recommendations on how to reorientate our healthcare system to focus on patient outcomes and value rather than vested interests."
