Health competition welcome if there is real choice Consumers would welcome more competition among health and hospital services where there is a real choice, but often little choice is available, the Consumers Health Forum, says. A Productivity Commission report released today says that greater...

Patients stand to benefit greatly under Health Care Homes and the first stage of the scheme should begin as soon as practicable, the Consumers Health Forum says. “We urge both GPs and the Government to ensure that patients do not lose out because of avoidable disagreements over the scheme,” the CEO...

The National Health and Medical Research Council and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia have released a revised joint statement reflecting the growing recognition of the place of consumers and community in health research. The Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and...

A tax on sugary drinks is an idea whose time has come, the Consumers Health Forum says. “The latest analysis from the Grattan Institute makes a strong case for a tax on sugar sweetened beverages. It adds to the growing calls from health leaders for Australia to take this vital step to reduce...

Australian health workforce organisations recognise the importance of patient-centred care but acknowledge they do not have adequate resources and support to promote consumer-focused services, a Consumers Health Forum survey has found. The survey found that more than 90 per cent of the workforce...

The Health Minister, Sussan Ley, is forecasting many changes to the health workforce, driven by technology and growing demand for services. She has revealed her insights in an article for the latest edition of the Consumers Health Forum journal, Health Voices , published today and titled Health...

Patient care gaps highlight need for health reforms People in rural and low income areas continue to face significant disadvantages in getting health care, highlighting the need for Government health reforms to be targeted where need is greatest, the Consumers Health Forum says. The Australian...

Consumers stand to have deeper engagement in Australia’s health sciences as a result of the great step forward in the Medical Research Future Fund strategy released by the Federal Government today, the Consumers Health Forum says. “The Consumers Health Forum welcomes the fresh and strong focus on...

The surprise revelation that the Government is planning to cap non-chronic care visits to GPs to five a year will discourage both doctors and patients from signing up to the Health Care Homes (HCH) initiative which is scheduled to start next July.k This unilateral announcement is a most unfortunate setback. The patient centred health care home approach offers a long overdue solution to the contemporary issues our health system is facing: growing complex chronic conditions, poor care and service coordination and the need for better service integration. It needs to be embraced with enthusiasm and careful change management.

“Poor practices” by some health funds are exposing consumers to bill shock and inadequate cover, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has found in a new report. “The ACCC report on health insurance to the Senate indicates that the increasing number of changes health funds are making...