Entries by YeeHar

Did the price of pharmaceuticals really rise by 5.6% in Q1 2018?

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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) Mar 2018 summary notes a +5.6% increase in the price of pharmaceutical products as contributing to the overall +0.4% rise reported for the quarter. The CPI is the official measure of inflation in the Australia economy and is the non-seasonally adjusted ‘All groups CPI’ weighted average of […]

Domo Arigato Dr. Roboto [originally published in PulseLine]

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The word ‘robot’ was introduced into the English language by writer Karel Capek in his 1920’s play ‘R.U.R.’ (Rossum’s Universal Robots). ‘Robota’ means forced labour in his native Czech. Although entities with robot-like features have been depicted in tales since prehistoric times and modern pop culture is littered with them! The first use of robots […]

Getting The Best Value For Your Buck [originally published in PulseLine]

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If you work in the Life Sciences then you have probably seen the term ‘value-based healthcare’ increasingly used. Oxford-based, Professor Muir Gray of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Services, describes the genesis of this movement in the United Kingdom as occurring in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. The fiscal constraints […]

Coordinated care for patients

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A change is coming to primary healthcare in Australia. The introduction of Health Care Homes later this year promises to be a different experience for patients with chronic and complex conditions (see Table). Two-hundred GP practices will move from the current fee-for-service (MBS rebate) model to bundled payments for eligible enrolled patients. For further details […]

Health Care System Profiles

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A useful resource for comparisons is The Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Center. In particular, the up-to-date Health Care System Profiles of 19 countries released 1 June.