Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy (EFC) review

Overview

The Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy (EFC) Program provides funding for chemotherapy medicines used for the treatment of cancer that are administered through infusion or injection at public or private hospitals. Not all chemotherapy medicines are provided through the EFC Program, but may be subsidised through the broader Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

In the 2020-21 Budget, the Government announced a review of the current EFC Program. The review will look at the impact and continuing suitability of the current EFC program and associated practices within the supply chain to ensure continuing access to medicines under the EFC Program.

In conducting the EFC review, the Government will examine whether the current EFC Program supports patient access to chemotherapy medicines in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The Government is seeking to ensure, through this review process, that the access and funding arrangements for chemotherapy services reflect a transparent, accountable, efficient and equitable model of service.

To gain insight from stakeholders, the Department of Health has released a Discussion Paper for consultation. Throughout this Discussion Paper, the Department will seek your feedback and recommendations on accessing chemotherapy medicines under the EFC program. Stakeholders are invited to participate in the consultation by responding to questions within the Discussion Paper via the Consultation Survey.

Consultation is now open and will close on Friday 2 July 2021.

Why your views matter

This consultation seeks to understand who you are and where you fit within the EFC supply chain; your perspectives regarding the questions posed about the EFC program; and how this review will affect you, your organisation and other members of the industry.

Submissions received as a result of the consultation on this Discussion Paper will support the Department in developing a final report for the Minister to consider by 30 June 2022. Your insights will aid the Australian Government to better understand the impact on patient access of the EFC program, and help shape future government policy and decision-making.

Consultation scope

Out of Scope:

• Considerations relating to ancillary cancer treatment costs (such as travel and accommodation)
• Costs and access arrangements for non-EFC listed cancer treatments (e.g. oral chemotherapy medicines and non-PBS medicines)

Privacy Notification

The Department is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

The Department is collecting personal information about you in this consultation for the purposes of informing the Review.

The collection of this information is required to inform a review of the efficiency, effectiveness and appropriateness of the EFC for the PBS.

While the Department encourages respondents to self-identify in their submission, there is no requirement to do so. However, if for example, should you choose to make an anonymous submission, the Department will be unable to attribute views to you in the Review Report (Report), or follow-up with you on any issues that you raise. The Department will seek your permission before attributing your views in the Report.

The Department has an APP privacy policy which you can read at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/privacy-policy. 

What happens next

Throughout the Discussion Paper consultation period, the Lead Reviewer (Professor Sanchia Aranda), and the Health Economics & Policy Analysis Unit (University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation) will be conducting a series of consultations with industry.

Following the Discussion Paper consultation period, and the consultation process during that period, the review team will analyse the responses and other information received from consultations in order to produce a summary of matters raised. This summary will go on to form the basis of a series of workshops that will be held by the review team, and will form the basis of an Interim Report for consultation.

The Interim Report will then guide the next steps in regard to further consultations that will be required in the early months of 2022, prior to submission of a final report to the Minister by 30 June 2022.