Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research on LinkedIn: Today, the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA)'s Deeble… (2024)

Cancer staging information is typically documented in unstructured free-text formats from various sources, such as multidisciplinary team meeting notes, medical correspondence, hospital-based cancer databases, and pathology and radiology reports. This lack of structured data fields complicates the systematic capture of cancer stage assessments for population-level analysis.To tackle this problem, the study "Collecting routine and timely cancer stage at diagnosis by implementing a cancer staging tiered framework: the Western Australian Cancer Registry experience" suggests adopting a tiered framework. This framework provides a dynamic method for population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) to record stage at diagnosis, promoting consistency in population-level staging data. It also aids in benchmarking across regions, public health planning, policy development, epidemiological studies, and evaluating cancer outcomes.In the value-based health care (VBHC) model, the MICRO-, MESO-, and MACRO approachcan help us think about how we measure and use healthcare system outcomes. At the micro level, the focus is on the individual and achieving their goals. The meso level focuses on using and sharing data across pathways of care and at the macro level data enables us to assess system-wide performance from a population perspective.The study's findings indicate that Tier 1 of the framework is versatile, serving both clinical and epidemiological purposes, while Tiers 2 and 3 are specifically beneficial for epidemiological analysis. The application and impact of these three tiers align with the meso level's focus on early and accurate diagnosis, offering important insights into disease patterns, risk factors, and the overall disease burden. Additionally, these insights highlight the importance of collaboration and data sharing across the entire healthcare system to enhance outcomes, instead of confining information to a single service, provider, or professional domain.Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHrd75pj

Hosted biennially by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association's Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research, the John Deeble Lecture and Panel Discussion provides a unique platform for thought leaders to share their experiences, insights, and reflections on nationally significant health policy issues.On October 15, 2024, the Lecture and Panel Discussion will be held at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, themed 'Beyond Boundaries: Leadership for Health'. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Jonathan Gray, Director of the Dragon Heart Institute, UK.Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more updates!

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Comparisons are often made between health systems that share similar characteristics, such as geographical location, historical background, income level, type of financing, and public sector involvement. To derive valuable and meaningful insights for policymaking, a method for comparing health systems is essential. The authors of the perspective brief "Policy Questions to Guide Health Systems Performance Comparisons" argue that adopting a detailed and comprehensive data collection method across a broad range of health system characteristics and utilising this data to select the most appropriate comparators can lead to effective comparisons. These comparisons can ultimately result in the development of effective policy reforms.The study recommends "cross-country comparison" as an ideal approach for policymakers to understand and evaluate the health systems of two different countries. A perfect example of this approach is illustrated in The Deeble Perspective Brief No. 30 – "Transforming for Value-Based Healthcare: Lessons from NHS Wales."This brief reflects on the discussions during the 2023 Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) Congress and roadshow, comparing the Welsh VBHC model to the Australian VBHC. It outlines the problem, examines how both regions have attempted to solve it, and describes the journey to VBHC in Australia and Wales. It then identifies key components of the Welsh VBHC implementation and reflects on the lessons that can be learned from the Welsh experience to establish a nationally connected approach to VBHC in Australia.The comparative analysis of both countries in the areas of digital health, person-centered care, research, impact and evaluation, and strategic partnerships revealed that the Welsh model of VBHC presents an iterative, data-driven, evidence-based, outcomes-focused approach, built on the principles of equity, sustainability, and partnerships. This approach resonated strongly with Australian audiences, highlighting an opportunity to harness these learnings within the Australian policy context. The aforementioned comparative analysis of the two VBHC models proves that international comparisons have the ability to offer policymakers valuable insights into which policies and design features can most effectively address existing challenges. Read Deeble Perspective Brief No. 30 - Transforming for Value-Based Healthcare: Lessons from NHS Wales - https://lnkd.in/gdKZegS5Read Perspective Brief - Policy Questions to Guide Health Systems Performance Comparisons - https://lnkd.in/gsfcmHaF

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Healthcare supply chains contribute between 60-80% of the carbon footprint of health services. In England's NHS, medicines, medical equipment, and other purchased goods and services alone contribute 66% of its total carbon footprint. Therefore, reducing emissions from these supply chains is crucial for achieving low-carbon healthcare.The NHS aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045 across its entire footprint, including those from goods and services procured from partners and suppliers. To meet this goal, the NHS in England is taking several key steps to encourage suppliers to decarbonize the healthcare supply chain:Engaging Stakeholders:The NHS is engaging with approximately 80,000 suppliers across various sectors through forums and attendance at trade bodies and supplier events. For targeted engagement, the NHS conducted a supplier survey in 2021.Setting Clear Expectations:The "Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service" report, published in 2020, outlines a vision for a sustainable NHS supply chain. By 2030, the NHS aims to cease purchasing from suppliers that do not align with its net zero ambitions.Supporting Implementation:The development of tailored, user-friendly resources for both suppliers and procurement teams, along with regular webinars, is essential to support the effective implementation of sustainability measures.Accelerating Change through Recognition:To highlight and acknowledge good practices among suppliers, the NHS has introduced Evergreen, an online self-assessment tool. This tool provides suppliers with a maturity score based on their alignment with NHS sustainability priorities. Suppliers can publicly use this score to demonstrate and enhance the credibility of their sustainability commitments.While these methods seem effective in achieving a sustainable and low-carbon healthcare system in England, Australia has also adopted certain strategies and movements in recent years to achieving net zero emissions.On 3rd December 2023, the Australian federal government launched the National Health and Climate Strategy, which outlines priorities for the next five years to address the health and wellbeing impacts of climate change in Australia. The strategy sets out actions to help build healthy, climate-resilient communities and a sustainable, resilient, high-quality, net zero health system.To further support this initiative, the Australian federal government also invested $5 million in climate and health research to accelerate evidence-based interventions specific to Australian settings, reduce health impacts associated with climate events in Australia, and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the nation’s healthcare system.Read more: https://lnkd.in/gkdUswV5

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Traditionally, randomized controlled trials (RCTs)are considered the gold standard of medical evidence, as randomization eliminates bias in the assignment of participants to experimental or standard therapy groups. Yet, the recent decision by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve several cancer drugs without RCT data has sparked a shift away from this conventional method.In her article "Randomised trials of cancer drugs are for yesterday," Elaine Schattner, a cancer survivor and former oncologist,explores the current state of RCT use in oncology.Critics argue that the rapid approval of relatively untested drugs creates false hope, exposes patients to unnecessary risks from toxicity, and undermines the incremental accumulation of medical knowledge that RCTs provide. Conversely, supporters contend that current regulatory processes are too slow for patients with limited life expectancies and advocate for the swift approval of drugs that have been safety-checked.Ms. Schattner suggests that revising the cancer drug testing process could offer economic benefits. With fewer RCTs, the development costs for cancer drugs would decrease, potentially leading to lower prices. Additionally, a broader range of cancer drugs could ultimately save money by reducing the expense and toxicity associated with ineffective treatments.Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtkKc9Z6

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The Deeble Institute would like to thank HESTA for supporting our 2024 Deeble Institute Scholar Dr Prabhakar Veginadu. His paper, Integrating oral health into primary healthcare for improved access to oral health care for rural and remote populations, was published today and is available on the AHHA website: https://ow.ly/mub650Sm5Nf

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Today, the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA)'s Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research published an Issues Brief titled "Integrating Oral Health into Primary Healthcare for Improved Access to Oral Healthcare for Rural and Remote Populations." This brief explores the barriers to accessing oral healthcare for Australians in rural and remote areas and proposes a strategy to integrate oral health into primary healthcare.Co-authored by Dr. Prabhakar Veginaduas part of the 2024 Deeble Summer Scholarship program, the brief synthesises evidence on the challenges of access and factors influencing it. It identifies the uneven distribution of public dental services, a persistent shortage of public dental workforce, and high turnover rates among public dental professionals as key contributors to the access problem in rural and remote areas.Consequently, the brief recommends integrating oral health promotion, screening, and non-invasive preventive care into primary healthcare, as this is considered an effective solution for improving oral healthcare access, especially in resource-limited settings.Read the Brief in full on the AHHA website: https://lnkd.in/g8cgXRca

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Today, the AHHA’s Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research released a Perspective Brief titled ‘Engaging stakeholders in healthcare innovation: How hard can it be?’ which underscores the crucial role of stakeholder engagement in healthcare. This Brief was authored by experts from Queensland Health and The University of Queensland Business School. Healthcare service innovations are dependent on a wide range of stakeholders, such as consumers, providers, funders and policy makers, all of whom hold diverse interests. Innovations often fail to attain outcomes or make a meaningful impact due to poor stakeholder engagement. Expertise in engaging stakeholders is often a missing link between success and failure in the healthcare setting.Prior to commencing the research, key stakeholders were selected based on convenience, existing professional relationships, and positional authority rather than their roles, resources, or influence on the project's aims and outcomes.This brief aims to share lessons learned from implementing three allied health-led service innovations with diverse stakeholder groups and to propose a more intentional and strategic approach to stakeholder engagement to achieve sustainable innovative practices in healthcare using a service logic.Read the Brief in full on the AHHA website: https://lnkd.in/gjMsj35W

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