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Recommendations
Recommendation 1
7.105 That
the next Australian Health Care Agreement recognise the fundamental importance
of patient assisted travel schemes and include:
- a clear
commitment to improvement of services;
- a clear
allocation of funding for the schemes;
- a clear articulation of the services and
supports that people using transport schemes can access; and
- a commitment
to regular monitoring of access and service provision.
Recommendation 2
7.110 That
as a matter of urgency, the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council
establish a taskforce comprised of government, consumer and practitioner
representatives to develop a set of national standards for patient assisted
travel schemes that ensure equity of access to medical services for people
living in rural, regional and remote Australia.
7.111 That,
in establishing national standards, the taskforce:
- identify relevant legislative, geographic,
demographic and health service variables of the States and Territories
impacting on access;
- identify barriers to access including costs of
travel and accommodation, restrictions on escort eligibility and access to
transport;
- assess the
impact of co-payments;
- identify mechanisms to improve access for
patients travelling between jurisdictions;
- identify, as a matter of priority, core, minimum
standards that are relevant to all jurisdictions particularly in relation to
eligibility criteria and subsidy levels; and
- give consideration to the development of
optimal, outcomes-based standards that support consistent, quality outcomes for
consumers, whilst enabling different State/Territory approaches that are responsive
to local need.
7.112 Development
of the national standards should include (but not be limited by) consideration
of the following areas:
- patient
escorts including approval for:
- psycho-social support;
- approval for more than one caregiver to accompany
a child; and
- approval for a caregiver to accompany a pregnant
woman.
- eligibility:
- identify a means other than the distance
threshold to determine eligibility that takes into account a broader range of
factors such as public transport access and road conditions; and
- referral on the basis of the nearest appropriate
specialists where an appointment can be secured within a clinically acceptable
timeframe.
- appeals
processes.
Recommendation 3
7.114 That
the taskforce report to the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council
expeditiously so that national standards can be formulated and instituted
within twelve months of tabling of the Committee's report.
Recommendation 4
7.116 That
the taskforce develop a performance monitoring framework, which enables ongoing
assessment of State/Territory travel schemes against the national standards and
relevant goals set out in the (revised) Healthy Horizons Framework, and
facilitates continuous quality improvement.
Recommendation 5
7.117 That
the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council establish a mechanism to
monitor performance, identify areas for improvement and review the standards as
required.
Recommendation 6
7.119 That
the taskforce review existing administrative arrangements to make them less
complex, including development of a simplified generic application form;
consideration of an on-line application process; and revision of the
authorisation processes.
Recommendation 7
7.123 That
the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council determine transport and
accommodation subsidy rates that better reflect a reasonable proportion of
actual travel costs and encourage people to access treatment early.
Recommendation 8
7.124 That
the taskforce identify appropriate mechanisms against which to review subsidy
levels on a regular basis to keep pace with changes in living costs.
Recommendation 9
7.125 That
all States and Territories adopt a pre-payment system, whether by vouchers,
tickets or advance bookings, for patients experiencing financial difficulty
with the initial outlay.
Recommendation 10
7.126 That
the Commonwealth Government initiate negotiations with the private health
insurance sector to encourage insurers to offer products that include transport
and accommodation assistance.
Recommendation 11
7.127 That
State and Territory Governments develop memoranda of understanding that
underpin clear, workable reciprocal arrangements for cross-border travel.
Recommendation 12
7.129 That
State and Territory Governments expand travel schemes to cover items on the
Medical Benefits Schedule – Enhanced Primary Care and live organ donor
transplants (with assistance to the donor and recipient) and access to clinical
trials.
Recommendation 13
7.131 That
the taskforce develop a marketing and communication strategy that targets
consumers and health practitioners. Consideration should be given to the role
of the Divisions of General Practice in educating GPs about the scheme.
Recommendation 14
7.133 That
appropriate, on-site (or nearby) accommodation facilities be incorporated into
the planning and design of new hospitals/treatment centres.
Recommendation 15
7.134 That
State and Territory Governments work proactively with charities and
not-for-profit organisations to provide affordable patient accommodation and
services. This should include:
- developing administrative arrangements that
facilitate organisations' access to PATS funding;
- establishing memoranda of understanding with
charitable organisations, which set out commitments to quality service
delivery; and
- developing partnerships with the non-government
sector to provide suitable patient accommodation.
Recommendation 16
7.138 That
State and Territory Governments, in consultation with Indigenous
representatives and Indigenous Health Services, identify and adopt best
practice standards and develop programs to improve Indigenous patients' access
to medical services by:
- ensuring continuity of care for Indigenous
patients by establishing liaison services and improving coordination in, and
between, remote communities and treatment centres;
- accommodating the cultural and language needs of
Indigenous patients from remote communities, particularly in respect to the
provision of escorts and translators; and
- expanding
access to appropriate accommodation services.
7.139 In
establishing these best practice standards and programs government and
Indigenous representatives should:
- identify and build on existing examples of good
practice by health services in Indigenous communities and State and Territory
programs; and
- establish clear governance and administrative
arrangements for the delivery of programs, including consideration of the most
appropriate bodies to provide day-to-day administration of services (for
example, a government body or community-managed Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health services).
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