Variation in the cost of maternity care: How Australia's financing and delivery of care affects costs to the government and costs to women
Author(s)
Callander, Emily
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2019
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Private obstetric services provided under Medicare have relatively high out-of-pocket fees, compared to other types of services and these fees have been rising rapidly over time. Concurrently, there has been a decline in the number of women giving birth in private hospitals. As more women are moving into public hospitals, the delivery of care in these institutions in a safe, effective, and economically sustainable manner is currently a key priority for public hospital planners and administrators. Using linked administrative data we have (1) quantified the difference in out-of-pocket fees charged to mothers who gave birth in ...
View more >Private obstetric services provided under Medicare have relatively high out-of-pocket fees, compared to other types of services and these fees have been rising rapidly over time. Concurrently, there has been a decline in the number of women giving birth in private hospitals. As more women are moving into public hospitals, the delivery of care in these institutions in a safe, effective, and economically sustainable manner is currently a key priority for public hospital planners and administrators. Using linked administrative data we have (1) quantified the difference in out-of-pocket fees charged to mothers who gave birth in private and public hospitals; (2) compared the costs to the public health system of delivering care in public hospitals; (2) estimated the potential cost-savings to public hospitals associated with increased use of continuity of midwifery care (COMC) for all-risk mothers.
View less >
View more >Private obstetric services provided under Medicare have relatively high out-of-pocket fees, compared to other types of services and these fees have been rising rapidly over time. Concurrently, there has been a decline in the number of women giving birth in private hospitals. As more women are moving into public hospitals, the delivery of care in these institutions in a safe, effective, and economically sustainable manner is currently a key priority for public hospital planners and administrators. Using linked administrative data we have (1) quantified the difference in out-of-pocket fees charged to mothers who gave birth in private and public hospitals; (2) compared the costs to the public health system of delivering care in public hospitals; (2) estimated the potential cost-savings to public hospitals associated with increased use of continuity of midwifery care (COMC) for all-risk mothers.
View less >
Conference Title
Women and Birth
Volume
32
Issue
Supplement 1
Subject
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Nursing
Obstetrics & Gynecology