Submission to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Palliative Care Australia supports the proposal to extend minimum private hospital benefits to palliative care delivered through Hospital in the Home (HITH) models. Palliative care HITH (PC-HITH) is an established, safe and cost-effective approach that enables choice to receive palliative care at home. The proposed flat rate of $360 per day is unlikely to reflect the costs of multidisciplinary palliative care, particularly for people with complex or higher-acuity needs.

PCA recommends:

• A minimum hospital benefit for private hospital PC-HITH be introduced as soon as practicable.
• A tiered HITH funding approach be developed over time, to reflect differences in patient complexity and acuity and the higher costs of delivering care in regional, rural and remote areas.
• Early post-implementation review.
• Changes to MBS arrangements, so that clinicians providing private hospital PC-HITH services can bill for telehealth consultations.

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