Article Start
Earlier this week, Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon, delivered a list of 40 health performance benchmarks by which states will be held accountable for the quality of their health services.

"Measuring the performance of the health care system is challenging. It is essential that we measure those factors that are critically important to the health of the nation. It is important that the community understand the indicators and their strengths and weaknesses, as these report on the community's health system. We all play a role in ensuring that our health care system is continuously improving, safe, accessible and fair," said Dr Vasantha Preetham, RACGP President and GP from Perth.

"It's a complex task developing an effective and evidence based indicator set for the nation, mostly because it is challenging to devise indicators that are easy to collect and clinically relevant while making sure that they are sensitive to change in quality and actually measure what is important in quality.

"As a result, the RACGP sees the list as a mix - some indicators based on evidence and others on pragmatic decision making. For example, child health care is critically important to national health, and the chosen indicator (6) relates to developmental health checks that are funded via the Medicare Benefits Schedule. The RACGP has searched the literature and has not been able to confirm that the checks will result in better health outcomes. This is an instance where we are measuring what we can, in an area of importance, but achievement of a good level of 'quality' is being measured against a government payment program which is susceptible to change by the stroke of a ministerial pen.

"Other indicators, such as the proportion of people with diabetes with a HbA1c below 7%, are important and measurable and evidence based, but at local level are highly influenced by the mix of people in the community and the availability of local resources. The college is surprised that there is no smoking cessation target; smoking remains the most significant modifiable behavioural risk factor for the nation.

"The RACGP supports an approach which will provide Australians with useful information about their health system.

"The real focus has to be on the end game. Unless the information will make a difference to community and government support and investment where it is required, this will result in yet more red tape. We want to continue to be able to assure all Australians that they get the best possible care the system can provide, but we have some way to go to get to the point where collection of information is seamless, where the indicators are widely supported, and where use of the data is based on professional input to assist the community in understanding it," said Dr Vasantha Preetham.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia and represents the majority of Australia's general practitioners.

http://www.racgp.org.au Article End