11Medicare principles and commitments

11 Medicare principles and commitments (1) The following guidelines govern the delivery of public hospital services to eligible persons in the ACT: Note The guidelines focus on the provision of public hospital services to eligible persons, but operate in an environment where eligible persons have the right to choose private health care in public and private hospitals supported by private health insurance.

(a) eligible persons must be given the choice to receive public hospital services free of charge as public patients; Note 1 Hospital services include in-patient, outpatient, emergency services (including primary care where appropriate) and day patient services consistent with currently acceptable medical and health service standards. Note 2 At the time of admission to a hospital, or as soon as practicable after that, an eligible person will be required to elect or confirm whether the person wishes to be treated as a public or private patient. (b) access to public hospital services is to be on the basis of clinical need; Note 1 None of the following factors are to be a determinant of an eligible person’s priority for receiving hospital services: (a) whether or not an eligible person has health insurance; (b) an eligible person’s financial status or place of residence; (c) whether or not an eligible person intends to elect, or elects, to be treated as a public or private patient. Note 2 This guideline applies equally to waiting times for elective surgery. (c) to the maximum practicable extent, the Territory will ensure the provision of public hospital services equitably to all eligible persons, regardless of their geographical location; Note 1 This guideline does not require a local hospital to be equipped to provide eligible persons with every hospital service they may need. Note 2 In rural and remote areas, the Territory should ensure provision of reasonable public access to a basic range of hospital services that are in accord with clinical practices.

Health care principles Part 3 (d) the Commonwealth and the Territory must make available information on the public hospital services eligible persons can expect to receive as public patients; Note 1 The joint Commonwealth/Territory development of a Public Patients Hospital Charter for the Territory will be a vehicle for the public dissemination of this information. Note 2 The Charter will set out the public hospital services available to public patients. (e) the Commonwealth and the Territory are committed to making improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of hospital service delivery. Note This includes a commitment to quality improvement, outcome measurement, management efficiency and effort to integrate the delivery of hospital and other health and community services. (2) A word or expression used in the Medicare Agreements Act 1992 (Cwlth) has the same meaning in subsection (1).