
‘No-nonsense’ approach to managing health care costs
More than 70 per cent of Australians now use an online health-care provider, according to a new study by the Institute of Public Affairs.
The findings are based on a survey of more than 600 people from across Australia and the US.
The Institute of Privacy and Civil Liberties (IPCL) has identified a new generation of health-related websites and services that have taken on the role of gatekeepers, as the new generation enters the health care system.
The study, which was released today, also found that nearly half of Australians aged 18 to 64 had used an online service or product in the last year.
The average age at which people accessed these services was 37 years.
Only around one in five people had used one in the past six months, and fewer than one in 10 had used in the year prior.
This study was the first of its kind to assess how Australians are accessing online health services and services.
“A lot of the health information that is being provided to the public is in the form of websites and apps, so it’s important to understand how that is done and what it means for the health-system,” Dr John Geddes, senior lecturer at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Public Health, said.
Dr Geddens said it was important to remember that online health information was a medium of communication and information sharing.
“When people visit the website, they’re not necessarily accessing the information that they need,” he said.
“They’re just getting information.”
They’re also getting information about the service they’re getting access to, which might not necessarily be as accurate as the information they might get in the paper or online.””
If you’re going to have an accurate picture of what a doctor or nurse is looking at, you want to get that information through the medium of the website,” he added.
Internet users in Australia were more likely to have access to a health-provider-managed health care service than the general population, and a majority of them had access to at least one of the following services: A GP or nurse, A hospital or other health facility, A pharmacy, A private doctor or hospital, or A clinic or primary care clinic.
More than a third of people who had health insurance used a health care provider-managed website or app.
The study found that while most people were using a health information site or app for information and health services, people were more than three times more likely than the population as a whole to be using a doctor-managed service.
People were also more likely if they were using an online care provider than those who were using one that was a public health provider.
According to the IPCL, the data indicates that health care providers have become increasingly important in the health system.”
Health care providers are now often the gatekeepers for access to health information and services and, more often than not, they are making decisions about the health of the patient and providing information to the general public,” Dr Gedds said.”
This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of health providers and their reliance on health information systems, which have increased by more than a factor of ten over the last decade.
“The IPCL has created a new tool called the “Health Information Portal” which allows users to access data about health services they use, including the information provided by a provider.
Dr Gddes said the tool was intended to provide transparency on how providers are using health information, but was not a replacement for having access to accurate health information.
What we want is people to be able to share information, whether it’s medical information, medical records, a prescription, a test, they can use it to make decisions about their health.””
[But] it’s not a substitute for access,” he explained.
“What we want is people to be able to share information, whether it’s medical information, medical records, a prescription, a test, they can use it to make decisions about their health.”
But that information needs to be accurate and not just the latest.
It needs to match up with what the provider has done.
“In a statement, the IPA’s chief executive officer, David McGlashan, said the IPA was committed to ensuring Australians had access and value for money in health-service delivery.”
We know the health economy is changing and we are seeing health services become more important in modernising our health care systems,” Mr McGlasean said.
The IPA is also seeking public feedback on the report.
Topics:health-policy,health,health-administration,healthcare-facilities,healthinsurance,government-and-politics,healthus-administrations,australia,aesthetics,aussies
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