The Customer Service Quality Perceptions to the Public Health Care Services in Australia - Research Paper Example

 Market Research Executive Summary The project aims to find the customer service quality perceptions to the public health care services in Australia. It begins with the presentation of the research objectives. Research objectives seeks to find out the degree of improvement in the various sectors of public health care in Australia, namely, maternity care, child health care, care for the old and aged. It finds about the overall improvement in the public health care system with special emphasis on the performance of doctors and hospitals. A research design has been formulated which speaks about how the different data has been gathered using secondary research, their way of presentation and the findings from the data. The project mainly focuses on quantitative research. In this regard data has been provided from the year 2004 to 2009 to evaluate performance of the sector. Lastly, it discusses about the regional performance of the health care service sector across the country of Australia. In this regard it takes into account services provided to the rural people of Australia. Comprehensively, the project speaks about the areas which need improvement based on its findings, and also presents a number of measures that has been incorporated by the Australian government in improving the country’s health conditions. Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Research Objectives 4 Research Design 5 Quantitative Research 5 Figure 1: Public Hospitals, 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 6 (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.17) 7 Figure 2: Full Time Equivalent Staff in Public Hospitals, 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 7 (Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.20) 7 Figure 3: Services Provided to Non Admitted Patients in Public Hospitals, 2005-2005 to 2998-2009 7 (Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.20) 8 Health Condition of Older People 13 Health Services in Rural Areas 13 Women and Children Hospital Foundation 14 Measures for improving health conditions in Australia- Role of IPART 15 Findings from the Research 16 Conclusion 18 References 18 Bibliography 20 Introduction This project attempts to find the customer service quality perceptions with regard to public health care service in Australia. In this context, a report has been presented with the help of secondary data. The project mainly focuses on the role of Australian Government role and its involvement in strengthening this sector and raising its standards. A number of statistics have been provided to present a vivid picture of the present status and the quality of public health care in Australia. Special emphasis has been given to hospital services and services offered by the doctors of the country. A number of data has also been provided with regard to health insurance schemes that have come up in the benefit of the people. Apart from this, the project aims to present the improvement in quality of services provided be the Australian government over the last few years. For this purpose various data has been collected and analysed. This has been presented in the form of findings at the end of the project. Research Objectives This project aims at making an assessment of the present state of service provided by the public health care system in Australia. Also, it seeks to determine the nature of services provided by the doctors in the country, the health care system, maternity care, child care and finally services provided for the old and aged. Further, it seeks to analyse the quality improvement of these services over the years. This analysis has been made using data from the year 2004 till 2009. It also takes into account the measures undertaken by the Australian government in implementing the best practices in hospitals and other health care units across the country. It also focuses on the quality of services provided to the rural people and those who reside in remote areas. In this regard it helps to bring forth services provided by the RFDS, or the Royal Flying Doctors Services. Research Design This project has primarily used quantitative data represented by statistics, finance and numbers. It has also presented certain reports qualitatively. The secondary data has been collected using government statistics, organisation reports and data supplied by certain marketing organisations. This data has been primarily collected from several regions across the country of Australia for the last 10 years. This data has been used for analysis and interpretations, and has been presented in the form of ‘findings’. Quantitative Research Primarily, the research is focussed on the hospital services of the country. “Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-2009” (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, “Health Services Series no.34”) has presented an overview of the public and the private hospitals in Australia. This report contains a comprehensive range of information on the performance of the public and private hospitals in Australia. Services provided during Emergency and Accidents There were 7.2 number of accidents recorded for which emergency services were provided by these hospitals between the year 2008 and 2009. This figure had increased by 4.6% per year on an average from 2004. 70% of the patents were attended on time in the emergency departments and 100% of the critical ones who required prompt services were attended immediately. The proportion of patients who were attended on time ranged between 69 to 70%, as recorded from the year 2004 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.8). Care provided to patients admitted in Hospitals The number of separations for patients admitted in hospitals in 2008 and 2009 was 8.1 million. This figure was 4.9 million in the public hospitals which recorded an increase amounting to 3.4% from the year 2004 onwards. During this period, rehabilitation care in public hospitals also increased. Rehabilitation care and maintenance care provided to patients, increased by 19% and 9%, on an average, respectively. This rate was even higher for the indigenous Australians and for people living in remote places and with weaker economic status (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.8). Expenditure in Public Hospitals Between 2008 and 2009, public hospital expenditure amounted to $31.3 billion. It increased by 5.9% on an average from the year 2004 to 2009. 70% of this expenditure was spent on patients who were admitted. The private insurance companies are the primary source of funding for the hospitals. Hospital Resources, 2004-2009 Figure 1: Public Hospitals, 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.17) Figure 2: Full Time Equivalent Staff in Public Hospitals, 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 (Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.20) Figure 3: Services Provided to Non Admitted Patients in Public Hospitals, 2005-2005 to 2998-2009 (Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.20) In 2008 and 2009, 756 hospitals were present in the country. Between 2007 and 2008 this figure was 762. It is found to have remained at a consistent level during this period. From the above figure it is apparent that the number of medical officers employed in these hospitals has been increasing consistently from the year 2004 till date. It has recorded a high average growth of 8.1% between 2004 and 2005 and 8% in 2008 and 2009. The number of nurses employed has also increased consistently since 2004. Overall, the strength of the hospital staff has been increasing over the years. This includes diagnostics and other health professional, administrative staff, clerical staff and other domestic staff. As evident from Figure 3, the number of occasions in which hospitals have provided service to patients not admitted, has also been increasing gradually from 2004. Though the average increase has fallen from 3.5% to 1.7% from the year 2004 to 2009, the total figure remains significantly high, showing a decent performance on part of the hospitals. Figure 4: Average Available Beds in Public Hospitals and Number of Average Beds Available Per 1000 Population (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, p.20) From the above figure it is apparent that the number of beds available in public hospitals has been increasing since 2004. Between 2004 and 2005, the average number of available beds increased by 0.7% on an average, and between 2008 and 2009, this increase was 0.4% on an average. Figure 5: Patients Admitted in Public Hospitals in Victoria (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.10) Treatment of patients at public hospitals in Victoria has been continuing at a growing rate. They have even set a target of admitting 1.4 million patients as compared to 1 million in 1999-2000. Between July and December 2009, public hospitals had admitted as high as 730,353 numbers of patients. This figure was 9735 in 2008 and recorded an increase of 1.4% from the previous year (Victorian Government Health Information, p.10). Figure 6: Total Utilisation in Hospitals (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.10) Hospital utilisation gives a measure of the number of days that a patient occupies a bed in the hospital. Between July to December, 2009, the “total patient stay increased by 26,092 bed days” (Victorian Government Health Information, p.10). This implies an increase of 1.1% in the public hospitals in comparison to 2008. Figure 7: Treatment of Patients in Specialist Clinics (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.11) The specialist clinics have increased the number of patients that they treat over the last few years. Between July and December 2009, 677230 numbers of patients have been recorded to have gained admission in these specialist clinics provided by the public hospitals. They are funded by the “Victorian Ambulatory Classification System (VACS)” (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.11). The number of patients has increased by 32,900 or 5.1% as compared to the previous year during the same period. This can be chiefly attributed to the Maroondah and Casey hospitals. These specialist clinics under the public health services are established in hospital settings or “community based health care facility such as a day hospital” (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.11). They help patients to have access to nursing, medical and health professionals for diagnosis, assessments and treatments. They also assist in providing access to the management of complex and chronic conditions. They provide “pre and post hospital care” (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.11). They also help patients to have access to obstetricians and other diagnostic services, such as imaging and pathology. Figure 8: Average Daily Hours of Care in ICUs (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.12) “Critical care services” (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.12) are experts in providing the best equipments and services to patients under critical and life threatening conditions. “These services include beds with intensive care units (ICUs), neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and special care nurseries (SCNs)” (Source: Victorian Government Health Information, p.12). In Victoria, this system providing critical care offers care and support for patients within the entire range of surgical and medical specialties and services. Starting from the year 2001-2002, till 2008-2009, the average hours of daily intensive care provision have increased by 17.5%. Between July and December in the year 2009, the daily hours of intensive care was 5036, as compared to 5020 in 2008 during the same period of time. This recorded an increase of 0.3% between the two years. Health Condition of Older People Increase in age has a direct correlation with the rates of disabilities and poor health status. An ageing population and health status of the older people is very likely to bring about impact on the overall health conditions of the community of Australia. Statistics have been collected on the “self assessed health status” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Health of Older People in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-2005”) which is said to be the predictor of mortality and morbidity. In the year 2005, 32% of the old men rated their health conditions as ‘good’. One-third, or 36% of them have rated health conditions as ‘excellent or very good’. This is an increase by 32% from the year 2001. However, the figures are lower in the case of younger generation. For people within the age group 18 to 64 years, 28% of them have rated themselves as being under good health conditions, and 59%, i.e. exceeding half of the group have claimed to be under very good or excellent health conditions. “Long-term health conditions” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Health of Older People in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-2005) are common among older people. In the year 2005, almost 100% of them aged above 65 years reported to have “at least long term health condition” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Health of Older People in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-2005). Health Services in Rural Areas “The Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS)” (Department of Health and Ageing, “Rural Health Services”) was established in the year 1928 to serve the people in remote and isolated areas, in need of health care and well being. Now, the RFDS also provides air transport services along with health care for those dwelling in remote and rural communities in the country. The Australian Government’s funding support towards this body amounted to $247 during the four years between 2007 and 2010. This body provides a 24 hours emergency service to the victims of accidents and illness, and those who are in critical conditions. They are primarily meant to serve those who are not able to access the medical infrastructure. Clinics have been developed in places that had remained isolated and are served by doctors and flight nurses. They provide regular health checkups and also provide advice on immunisation, child health and other services. Doctors and nurses also provide consultations via telephone and radio to reach people living in these areas. 2400 number of medical tests have been provided in such places which contain medical and pharmaceutical supplies (Department of Health and Ageing, “Rural Health Services”). Women and Children Hospital Foundation The woman and children hospital foundation has served millions of women and children in the country. Its mission is to provide support and care for children, the young people and women in South Australia. This body is the main provider of care and support for children and young people in acute and chronic conditions. The demand for their services is still high. This year it has provided remarkable maternity care for women. 4700 babies have already been born under the care of this unit. It had treated 39,123 injured and sick children during the year 2007. It had also provided 230,124 outpatient services to children and women. It seeks to provide the best services for women and children and their families in South Australia. Their main focus lies in its treatment of the rural people and the aboriginal native of that region. It takes pride in providing a brand new service called ‘on site accommodation’. This service allows the patient’s family to stay close to the patient during the period when they receive treatment under this unit (Women and Children hospital Foundation, Annual Report 2006/2007, p.5). Apart from serving patients, it also focuses on building a close relationship between communities. “The Woolworths Fresh Future campaign” (Women and Children hospital Foundation, Annual Report 2006/2007, p.10) raised $190,000 for the development of “Fourth Floor Medical Ward” (Women and Children hospital Foundation, Annual Report 2006/2007, p.10). The Australian kids have benefited much from the campaigns undertaken by this body. It helped it to rise as high as $610,000. This body works in partnership with the WCH. This partnership benefited the community, especially the Australian women and children. Measures for improving health conditions in Australia- Role of IPART IPART or the “Independent Pricing and regulatory Tribunal” (IPART, p.9) has reviewed performance of the “health service performance management” (IPART, p.9). This body has done a research to know the beat practices that are undertaken by international and national health organisations as a measure to improve health conditions in Australia. It helps the “Department of Health” (IPART, p.9) in implementing such practices and improves its health performance. It has suggested improvements in such areas as quality and safety, focus on patient and equity. It also aims to improve its efficiency in terms of cost effectiveness of health services, providing the best combinations of services that would result in the best health outcomes. It also aims to increase dynamic efficiency, by adopting the latest technologies and techniques to maximise output. It seeks to provide the best services to patients suffering from chronic diseases. Most importantly, it seeks to ensure that health services remain affordable and the demand for such services continues to increase. In comparison to most of the OECD countries, Australia’s health performance has improved significantly. Its performance has improved against the high level indicators of health in comparison to the remaining OECD countries. State provides the most important source of funding the public hospitals. In this context, the role of the Commonwealth is worth mentioning. It partially provides funds for the public hospital and other health services of the state provided through the “Australian Health Care Agreements (AHCAs)” (IPART, p.11). It also forms a primary source of funding in the private hospitals. It provides funds to bear the cost incurred during the medical services under the “Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS)” (IPART, p.11). The IPART pays special emphasis and focus on the patients. Patients are regarded as customers using these health services. Thus it is important that their view is taken into account while assessing the performance of the health systems. This review has resulted in the Department of Health laying special emphasis on patients and their treatment. Findings from the Research From the research finding it is evident that there has been a significant and consistent improvement in the services provided by hospitals for treating patients requiring emergency services and immediate attention. Consequently the number of patients who has benefited and used the services is also on the rise. As apparent from Figure 1, there is no dearth of public hospitals in the country. In fact reports show a rapid rise in this number from the year 2004 till date. The total staff strength in these hospitals has been showing a gradual increase since the last few years. The performance of the RFDS is worth mentioning in this context. It has been especially beneficial in the isolated and remote places, where people are not able to access normal medical facilities. Its performance has been greatly improved by the supports it has gained from the government of Australia. Regarding health care of children and women in Australia, the most important role is played by the WCH. The WCH foundation has raised a lot of funds which has been put to effective use in favour of women and children. It is also seen that the public hospitals in Australia has adequate number of available beds. Bed shortage is a rarity in these hospitals. From figures 5 and 6 it is apparent that the public hospitals in Victoria has been performing to the best of their abilities in terms of bed utilisations and admitting patients. This has also been increasing since the past few years. People can access their services at ease and without hassles in terms of bed vacancies and availability. The specialist health care clinic’s performance is commendable. They are adequately funded and do not compromise in their treatment of patients. They provide them with the most advanced and latest techniques of treatment. The number of patients benefitting from their services is also on the rise. A significant improvement has been noted in the functioning of the intensive care units operating in public hospitals in Victoria. It has recorded a rise of 17.5% in terms of providing daily intensive care services to patients from 2001 to 2009. Its quality of service has also been improving as it is using the latest and the most advanced instruments and techniques in the treatment of its patients. IPART has played a major role in improving the standard of health services provided to the Australians. Especially the patients and their opinion have gained prominence in assessing the performance of the public health service organisations. To assess whether the best practices as proposed by IPART are being implemented, it conducted a survey of the patients asking them whether a specific procedure was followed during the course of their treatment. IPART also makes it mandatory on the part of hospitals to publish an article on the findings of IPART on health services and hospitals on their websites. Conclusion It is obvious that the health status in Australian has been improving over the years. This is most conspicuously seen in the performance of the public hospitals in the country. Quantitative statistics have proved that the nation takes utmost care of its citizens and patients ranging from the new born child to the aged citizens of the country. It is commendable that the Australian government takes special care for people living in remote areas. The expenditure that Government incurs for funding the health service is indeed very high. The Australian government makes it a point to reach the remotest corner and extent their services to the deprived people, who don’t have access to modern livelihood. References Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health Services Series no.34. June 17, 2010. Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09. August 10, 2010. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Accident and Emergency Services. June, 2010. Australian Hospital Statistics 2008-09. August 10, 2010. < http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/hse/84/11173.pdf> Australian Bureau of Statistics. Health of Older People in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-2005. December 8, 2006. August 11, 2010. < http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4833.0.55.001> Department of Health and Ageing. Rural Health Services. April 12, 2010. August 10, 2010 < http://www.quitnow.info.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ruralhealth-services-rfds.htm> IPART. Framework for Performance Improvement in Health. September 2008. August 11, 2010. Victorian Government Health Information. Admitted Patients. April, 2010. Your Hospital. A Report on Victoria’s Public Hospitals, July to December 2009. August 11, 2010. < http://www.health.vic.gov.au/yourhospitals/yourhospsjuly-dec09.pdf> Women and Children Hospital Foundation, Annual Report 2006/2007. From the Chief Executive of the Children, Youth and Woman’s Health Services. 2007. August 10, 2010. < http://www.wchfoundation.org.au/library/WCHF%20Annual%20Report%2006-07.pdf> Bibliography Australian Bureau of Statistics. Year book, Australia, Issue 87. Aust. Bureau of Statistics. 2005. Briggs, D & Courtney, M. Health Care: Financial Management. Elsevier Australia. 2004. National Library of Australia. APAIS, Australian public affairs information service: a subject index to current literature. National Library Australia. 1990. Reynold, L. & Willis, E. Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Elsevier Australia. 2008. Scotton, R. B. & Mooney, G. H. Economics and Australian health policy. Allen & Unwin. 1999. Read More