When sick, the doctor is the first port of call for most Australians. In 2009-10 one in five visits to a GP resulted in extra fees over and above the Medicare scheduled fee. An estimated $557 million extra were paid for these visits. While the government encourages GPs to charge the scheduled fee (known as...

The rate of access to and utilization of Commonwealth-funded health services in Indigenous communities is measured and presented in this report. The Australian Government supports various service providers who deliver health care aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in many locations around Australia. These services include primary health care services, stand-alone substance use...

People with dementia have comparatively high rates of hospitalisation. Their relatively high casemix complexity contributes to longer hospital stays, which has an impact on their physical and mental state. Research shows that well-designed and targeted services have improved the quality of care for people with dementia. However, few studies have investigated patient outcomes using integrated...

Deloitte Access Economics was commissioned by Alzheimer’s Australia to provide updated dementia prevalence estimates and projections for Australia. Specifically, this report estimates the number of people with dementia in Australia in 2011, and predicts the number of people who will be living with dementia in Australia in the future, from 2012 until 2050.

Summary Australians with severe or profound disability are extensive users of professional health services. This high use is associated with a high prevalence of multiple long-term health conditions, and comorbidity of mental disorders and physical conditions (AIHW 2010). Severe or profound disability is strongly related to the use of health services, even after taking into...