Hospital Circular 18/2008: Hospital Circulars - Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Hospital Circular 18/2008

Date Issued: 12 June 2008

Distribution: Public Hospitals, Extended Care Centres, Metropolitan Health Services, and Regional Offices

Subject: Public Hospital fees – Changes

Private Admitted Patients - overnight stays, same day patients and hospital outreach service patients
Compensable Admitted Patients (excluding WorkCover and TAC recipients)

Hospital Circular 18/2008 -12 June 2008 (PDF file 41KB)

PUBLIC HOSPITAL FEES - CHANGES

(i) Private Admitted Patients - overnight stay, same day and hospital outreach service patients

The Commonwealth has advised that the overnight accommodation basic default benefits for shared ward acute hospital treatment in public hospitals in Victoria, and for hospital outreach services, will be increased by 4.2% (CPI movement for Australia March quarter 2007 to March quarter 2008). Accordingly the State Department of Human Services (DHS) has determined that effective 1 July 2008, Victorian public hospital private admitted patient bed day rates for 2007/2008 for private admitted: shared overnight stays, shared ward same day stays, and outreach hospital services stays will increase by 4.2%.

The private admitted single room accommodation rates for acute treatment is not subject to a Commonwealth default benefit. The State Department has increased the published rate for the private overnight admitted single room rate by 4.2% on the 2007/2008 rates. There has been no increase in the overnight admitted single room step down rates or in same day single room rates.

With the introduction of the new private health insurance reforms that came into effect 1 April 2007, from 30 June 2008 there will be no Commonwealth approval of outreach services or default benefits. The department is currently in discussion with health funds in regard to approval and benefit payments for Hospital in the Home services post 30 June.

(ii) Compensable Admitted Patients (excluding WorkCover and TAC recipients)

The State Department has increased the published rate for compensable admitted patients by 4.2% on the 2007/2008 rates.

Should the State Department further wish to amend any of the above the published 2008/2009 private patient accommodation charges, hospitals will be notified by DHS Hospitals Circular.

It is of course a matter for individual hospitals to weigh up the various considerations in charging the published public hospital single accommodation charge. Considerations might include the benefit health funds will assign to the public hospital; the co-payment a partially covered patient is willing to pay as an elected private patient; and – subject to sound internal polices and practice, - the amount of co-payment (eg front end deductible) a hospital can viably forgo.

Published rates for 2008/2009 are as follows:

Table 1 - Private Overnight Stay

Patient Classification	Length of Stay	Fee per day ($)
Patient Classification	Length of Stay	Shared	Single
Advanced Surgical	1 - 14 days 15 + days	347 241	659 490
Surgical/Obstetric	1 - 14 days 15 + days	321 241	626 490
Other	1 - 14 days 15 + days	280 241	550 490
Psychiatric	1 - 42 days 43 - 65 days 66 + days	321 280 241	626 528 490
Rehabilitation	1 - 49 days 50 - 65 days 66 + days	321 280 241	626 528 490

Table 2 - Private Same Day Admissions

Band	Fee Shared	Fee Single room
Band 1	203	265
Band 2	241	317
Band 3	280	366
Band 4	321	421

Table 3 - Compensable Admitted Patients (excluding WorkCover and TAC recipients)

Patient Classification	Length of Stay	Fee per day ($)
Advanced Surgical	1 - 14 days 15 + days	637 332
Surgical/Obstetric	1 - 14 days 15 + days	581 332
Other	1 - 14 days 15 + days	581 332
Psychiatric	1 - 42 days 43 - 65 days 66 + days	374 332 301
Rehabilitation	1 - 49 days 50 - 65 days 66 + days	545 332 251
Geriatric		332
Nursing Home Patient		194
Same Day Patient		466

Public hospitals are reminded that:

Fees for patients in single bed rooms are to be charged only when a patient is accommodated in the single bed room by his or her choice (that is, a patient accommodated in a single room for medical reasons is not to be charged single room rates); and
The private bed day fees exclude private patient charges for surgically implanted prostheses, human tissue items, and other medical devices.

Lance Wallace
Executive Director
Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services