Sign the petition now: CLICK HERE
This is the TV ad about Protecting Home Visits
Medicare Home Visits are under threat from cuts that will devastate Australia’s most vulnerable, if we don’t act now. Single parents, carers, people with disabilities, the elderly and over 2 million Australians all rely on this Medicare service.
Your real stories are driving this important campaign and we need others to come on the journey – join the campaign today and #protecthomevisits because home visits:
– are an essential Medicare service
– save taxpayers $181 million per year
– are a crucial disability service
– are relied on by over 2 million Australians
– ease the pressure on Hospital Emergency Departments
Sign the petition now: CLICK HERE
Imagine what would happen to your family if you didn’t have access to home visits! Kids fall sick at all hours of the day and night, not just in business hours, and it’s important families can get help when they need it most. Please let as many people know to sign up to the campaign to save home visits. http://protecthomevisits.com.au
Home visits are for when there is an urgent need for medical care and your regular GP is unavailable in the after-hours period. This includes evenings, night time, weekends and public holidays. Home visits are not for medical care provision that can wait for you to see your GP at their clinic. Today, more than one million families benefit from this great Medicare initiative every year. Without home visits, many families would have to go to emergency departments for health problems that are not emergencies but cannot wait until business hours to be treated.
Comparison of patient pathway costs that include and exclude admitted patient costs from “Analysis of after hours primary care pathways” November 2016 Deloitte Access Economics report
Pathway | Excluding admitted costs | Including admitted costs |
Emergency department | $368 | $458 |
Ambulance | $1,351 | $1,548 |
Extended and after hours only Clinics | $93 | $97 |
Healthdirect | $256 | $293 |
Hunter GP Access Scheme | $169 | $215 |
Medical Deputising Services | $128 | $128 |
If home visits were not available, the average cost to the system would be $195.… below is a table representing this.
The cost per patient of accessing alternative pathways from “Analysis of after hours primary care pathways” November 2016 Deloitte Access Economics report
Alternative | Proportion of patients | Cost |
Called an ambulance | 4% | $1,351 |
Gone to the hospital emergency department | 27% | $368 |
Gone to an after or extended hours clinic | 18% | $93 |
Delayed seeking medical care | 44% | $47 |
Gone without medical care | 6% | Not costed |
Total | 100% | $195 |