AMA Public Hospital Report Card 2013
The AMA Public Hospital Report Card 2013 provides an analysis of public hospital performance against key performance measures. The Report uses the most recent publicly available data. It also reflects the contemporary experiences of the AMA doctors who work in our public hospitals every day.
It shows that despite extra funding from the Commonwealth and the hard work of a dedicated health workforce, Australia’s public hospitals do not have the capacity to meet demand for their services.
There is no evidence of substantial progress towards achievement of any of the national targets that have been agreed by the Council of Australian Governments.
The clear message is that while public hospitals do not have the capacity to meet demand, they will struggle to meet performance targets. This means safety and quality are being put to the test.
The AMA Public Hospital Report Card measures capacity and performance using three indicators:
- Bed numbers and occupancy rates;
- Emergency Department waiting times; and
- Elective surgery waiting times.
The AMA Public Hospital Report Card is the only report that presents a picture over time of these core measures.
