The purpose of this paper is to provide additional information about the listing criteria that are proposed to apply for medical devices and human tissue products to be included in the Private Health Insurance (Medical Devices and Human Tissue Products) Rules.
We ask that stakeholders provide feedback on the proposed listing criteria and any ideas they have regarding the issues in the consultation paper. This feedback will then be used to inform any further refinement of the...More
Under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) grant agreement, Sector Support and Development (SSD) providers are required to submit a Performance Report to the Department of Health and Aged Care bi-annually.
This performance report will be used to gather information that may inform future policy and analyse demand for services as the department moves towards the new in-home aged care program. It is not intended to communicate changes to SSD policy. ...More
The Department is in the process of enhancing the Health Products Portal (HPP) to support Prostheses List applications.
As part of the Public Beta phase of testing, medical device organisations can complete a mock Prostheses List application for a new or amended listing on part A or C of the Prostheses List, via the HPP.
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The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the bundling of benefits for general use items (GUIs). The purpose of this paper is to provide options for this new transitional arrangement which will temporarily require GUIs to be funded by insurers under the Benefit Requirements Rules.
The paper can be found at the bottom of the page and is open for consultation via an online survey.
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The Department of Health and Aged Care and the National Capital Authority, in collaboration with a Steering Committee, is progressing work to establish a National Site of Recognition for thalidomide survivors and their families.
The Site of Recognition will be located at Kings Park in Canberra. It will recognise the pain and suffering experienced by thalidomide survivors, as well as the impact on their loved ones.
Site of Recognition Design
Based on the Design Aspects Survey...More
Following the mixed benefits webinar held on Tuesday 14 February 2023, the Department of Health and Aged Care is publishing the following documents for stakeholders to review the regrouping work as part of the Prostheses List (PL) Reforms. The documents that can be found include:
Rationale for the restructure of the PL proposed by hereco including an overview of the structure to subgroup level (accepted by the Department in December 2022);
Webinar presentation and...More
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is releasing this Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS) to inform thinking around general practice data and electronic clinical decision support (eCDS). The two policy areas discussed in this CRIS have been combined given the overlap in stakeholders and links between general practice data and eCDS in the broader healthcare ecosystem.
The CRIS is the final stage in a two stage consultation process,...More
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) is consulting with stakeholders to identify opportunities to amend the Healthcare Identifiers Framework (the HI Framework) which includes the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 (the Act), the Healthcare Identifiers Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) and the key policy settings for the Healthcare Identifiers Service (HI Service), through the Healthcare Identifiers Framework Project (the...More
Purpose and Scope
The Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) Expert Reference Panel (ERP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will survey public health laboratories, public health units and other laboratories or teams involved in the testing and reporting of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). This information will be used for a data-informed analysis, to understand how CPE is detected by testing, reported and actioned in Australia.
Key aims
...More
Purpose and Scope
The Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) Expert Reference Panel (ERP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will survey public health laboratories, public health units and other laboratories or teams involved in the testing and reporting of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). This information will be used for a data-informed analysis, to understand how CPE is detected by testing, reported and actioned in Australia.
Key aims
The...More
The Department of Health and Aged Care is developing a strategic plan for the nurse practitioner workforce. The purpose of the Plan is to describe a set of actions that can be taken to address nurse practitioner workforce issues and enhance the delivery of nursing care to the Australian community.
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with the experience, expertise and authority to diagnose and treat people of all ages with a variety of acute or chronic health...More
We are seeking feedback to inform a National Dementia Action Plan.
The National Dementia Action Plan is a joint initiative between the Australian Government and state and territory governments. It is a 10 year plan to put people living with dementia, their families, and carers at the centre of all action on dementia.
The National Dementia Action Plan will provide a vision where Australians understand dementia – people living with dementia and their...More
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended that the Australian Government establish an Inspector-General of Aged Care, supported by an independent Office.
The Inspector-General will play a critical role in driving improvement across the aged care system by:
looking at it from end to end, calling out systemic issues and significant problems, and making recommendations for improvements, and
providing increased accountability and...More
The Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) is leading the Intellectual Disability Health Curriculum Development Project, a short-term action under the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability . A key component of the project is the development of an Intellectual Disability Health Capability Framework (the Framework) in collaboration with people with intellectual disability, their families, carers and support workers, accreditation...More
Winter doses for residential disability accommodation settings can be sourced through a variety of channels, including primary care providers such as GPs and pharmacies, working with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to identify primary health care in-reach options and Commonwealth in-reach. Where a disability service provider is not able to source a primary care provider to administer COVID-19 Winter Dose Vaccine, they are able to request an in-reach Commonwealth COVID-19 Winter Dose...More
PBS Post-market Review Framework
The Department of Health and Aged Care is inviting stakeholders to provide feedback on a revised draft of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Post-market Review (PMR) Framework.
Stakeholders will have the opportunity to engage and provide feedback on the revised draft of the 2022 PMR Framework. The diverse perspectives, experience and knowledge of all stakeholders is highly valued and will contribute to the...More
The Australian Government has committed $39.0 million over four years to expand newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) to include more conditions and ensure consistency of programs across Australia.
This consultation process will give the Department of Health and Aged Care important information about the range of issues that should be considered during implementation of expansion.
For context about the newborn bloodspot screening programs, and the expansion process,...More
The Department is conducting studies into key PHI regulatory and policy settings (Lifetime Health Cover, Risk Equalisation Medicare Levy Surcharge, PHI Rebate and Private Hospital Default Benefit Arrangements). The aim of these studies is to identify opportunities to improve the affordability and quality of PHI cover for consumers to access private health services and to optimise the contribution private health makes to the health system.
Finity Consulting (Finity), an actuarial...More
An independent capability review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) is being undertaken in response to recommendations 10 and 104 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Mr David Tune AO PSM, former Secretary of the Australian Department of Finance, is conducting the review and will produce a preliminary and a final report over the course of the six-month review.
The findings will be used to support...More
The Medical Research Future Fund’s (MRFF) Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission (the Mission) is investing $125 million for research to support a million Australians with mental health issues. This funding will enable access to new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
As per the MRFF Mission Governance document , the Mission’s Expert Advisory Panel is to provide their advice to the Minister for Health and Aged Care on...More
Survey of CHSP Providers regarding Employee Salary Costs and Employee Occupations
The Fair Work Commission is currently considering applications to increase minimum award wages for the aged care sector. The Australian Government has supported these applications with a submission to the Fair Work Commission and committed to providing additional support to aged care providers to assist with meeting the increased costs of delivering care that may arise from a decision in this case....More
The Aged Care Quality Standards help older Australians to feel secure and supported, give families confidence that their loved ones are looked after, and ensure that aged care providers and workers know what is expected of them, whatever their size, location or offering.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted that while the Quality Standards are a powerful tool to maintain and improve quality of care across the aged care sector, they required urgent...More
This online survey aims to identify vaccine supply chain management (SCM) practices within the various state and territory health departments within Australia.
The reason for this survey is to identify commonalities (and differences) is each state and territory's supply chain process. This will then allow the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to determine if there are any areas the holistic vaccine supply chain can be enhanced.
For the purposes of this survey,...More
PHLN’s recently revised laboratory case definition for HIV has stimulated a review of laboratory algorithms for the confirmation HIV in many primary and reference laboratories around Australia. This presents an opportunity for optimization and standardization of HIV confirmatory testing approaches in Australia.
The aim of this survey is to better understand:
Current confirmatory testing algorithms used in HIV reference laboratories around Australia.
Planned...More
The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 outlines Australia’s overarching, long-term approach to prevention. The aim of the National Preventive Health Strategy is to create a sustainable prevention system for all Australians, with a particular focus on the wider determinants of health, reducing health inequity and addressing the increasing burden of disease. This will help all Australians live in good health and wellbeing for as long as possible.
The...More
In May and June 2022, the Department of Health and Aged Care held a series of virtual workshops (three in total) with key stakeholders and a small group of sponsors to seek input into the new listing pathways process to be used as part of the future Prostheses List (PL) model facilitated by the Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA), School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide. These workshops built on the information outlined in Consultation Paper 3 - A modernised...More
The EFC Program provides funding for chemotherapy and other medicines used for the treatment of cancer that are administered through infusion or injection at public or private hospitals. Not all cancer medicines are provided through the EFC Program; some may be subsidised through other sections of the broader Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The Australian Government is undertaking a review of the EFC Program to examine current EFC arrangements and the associated...More
The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking to engage stakeholders regarding the redesign of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program. The QUDTP Program provides funding to improve the way medicines and medical tests are prescribed and used.
As part of the redesign, two proposed grant opportunities are intended to be delivered:
Health Professional Education Grant Opportunity – focusing on educational...More