The health cost of extended delays for inpatient treatment

Funding: 2014: $126,301
2015: $127,786
2016: $129,225

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC DECRA Scheme)

Start year: 2014

Summary: Extended delays for elective procedures in public hospitals impede the National Priority of promoting and maintaining good health. Using unique large survey data linked to multiple years of health administrative records and death registry, this project provides comprehensive costs of waiting, capturing both in-hospital and out-of-hospital health deterioration and impacts on medical expenditure. The estimation strategy takes into account patient initial choice to join the waiting list instead of going to a private hospital and allows for variation in the costs of waiting across patients. The results will have significant policy implications for waiting time reduction policies, health resource prioritisation and promotion of health equity.

Publications:

Johar, M, Mu, C, Van Gool, K & Wong, CY 2017, 'Bleeding Hearts, Profiteers, or Both: Specialist Physician Fees in an Unregulated Market', Health Economics, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 528-535.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

Johar, M 2014, 'Are Waiting List Prioritization Guidelines Being Followed in Australia?', Medical Decision Making, vol. 34, no. 8, pp. 976-986.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

Keywords: Hospital waiting times,Health outcomes,Health costs

FOR Codes: Health Economics, Health Policy Evaluation, Panel Data Analysis, Health Inequalities, Public Economics- Publically Provided Goods, Health economics , Public economics - publicly provided goods

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.