Australia’s complex ‘marble cake’ federalism – where the Commonwealth and state governments share a policy terrain – creates inefficiencies in the hospital system. These inefficiencies, especially when people are admitted to hospital for conditions which are potentially preventable, or stay much longer than necessary, mean that other people who need care cannot get it, and are left lingering on elective procedure waiting lists or ‘ramped’ outside hospital in an ambulance.
This submission highlights two aspects of inefficiency: potentially preventable hospitalisations, and maintenance care. We support exploring new penalties for the former, and better data collection for the latter to identify the scale of the problem. We also support phasing in the pricing of mental health episodes of care.