❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks detailed information about the Medicare Billing for Rural Areas in Need program, including funding allocation, expenditure, committee composition, WACHS involvement, Medicare billing data, and Indigenous/non-Indigenous patient demographics.
AnsweredQoN 1243Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Medicare Billing for Rural Areas in Need program, under the Small Rural Hospitals for Primary Health Care, Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Section 19(2) exemption initiative in Western Australia, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Commonwealth of Australia and Western Australia, and I ask: (a) which communities and towns are covered by this program; (b) what is the dollar value of the funds received from the Commonwealth Government for each of the last three years, by each of the communities and towns that are covered by this program; (c) what has been the income and itemised expenditure of these funds for each of the last three years, by each of the communities and towns that are covered by the program; (d) have all of the funds that have been expended by the implementation committees, in consultation with the communities, been for the purposes of improving access to primary health care services and supporting workforce retention in those rural and remote communities that have been experiencing workforce shortages: (i) if no to (d), what were the funds expended on; and (ii) if no to (d), was, or is there, a State-Federal agreement that the funds can be expended for other purposes: (A) if yes to (d)(ii), what are those other purposes; (e) what is the makeup of the membership and community/departmental representation on each of the implementation committees that oversee the distribution of funds in each of the towns and communities; (f) what role does the Western Australian Community Health Service (WACHS) play in determining the decisions and outcomes of the implementation committees; (g) how many services, and the income generated from those services, have been billed to the Medicare Benefits Scheme for each of the last three years by each of the communities and towns that are covered by this program; and (h) what percentage of patients attending hospitals under this program are Indigenous and Non-Indigenous in each of the towns and communities?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
12 August 2014
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Health
Response time
90 days
I refer to the Medicare Billing for Rural
Areas in Need program, under the Small Rural Hospitals for Primary Health Care,
Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Section 19(2) exemption initiative in
Western Australia, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Commonwealth
of Australia and Western Australia, and I ask: (a) which communities and towns are covered by this program; (b) what is the dollar value of the funds received
from the Commonwealth Government for each of the last three years, by each of
the communities and towns that are covered by this program; (c) what has been the income and itemised
expenditure of these funds for each of the last three years, by each of the
communities and towns that are covered by the program; (d) have all of the funds that have been expended
by the implementation committees, in consultation with the communities, been
for the purposes of improving access to primary health care services and
supporting workforce retention in those rural and remote communities that have
been experiencing workforce shortages: (i) if no to (d), what were the funds expended on; and (ii) if no to (d), was, or is there, a
State-Federal agreement that the funds can be expended for other
purposes: (A) if yes to (d)(ii), what
are those other purposes; (e) what is the
makeup of the membership and community/departmental representation on each of
the implementation committees that oversee the distribution of funds in each of
the towns and communities; (f) what role
does the Western Australian Community Health Service (WACHS) play in
determining the decisions and outcomes of the implementation
committees; (g) how many services, and
the income generated from those services, have been billed to the Medicare
Benefits Scheme for each of the last three years by each of the communities and
towns that are covered by this program; and (h) what percentage of patients attending hospitals under this program
are Indigenous and Non-Indigenous in each of the towns and
communities?
Areas in Need program, under the Small Rural Hospitals for Primary Health Care,
Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Section 19(2) exemption initiative in
Western Australia, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Commonwealth
of Australia and Western Australia, and I ask: (a) which communities and towns are covered by this program; (b) what is the dollar value of the funds received
from the Commonwealth Government for each of the last three years, by each of
the communities and towns that are covered by this program; (c) what has been the income and itemised
expenditure of these funds for each of the last three years, by each of the
communities and towns that are covered by the program; (d) have all of the funds that have been expended
by the implementation committees, in consultation with the communities, been
for the purposes of improving access to primary health care services and
supporting workforce retention in those rural and remote communities that have
been experiencing workforce shortages: (i) if no to (d), what were the funds expended on; and (ii) if no to (d), was, or is there, a
State-Federal agreement that the funds can be expended for other
purposes: (A) if yes to (d)(ii), what
are those other purposes; (e) what is the
makeup of the membership and community/departmental representation on each of
the implementation committees that oversee the distribution of funds in each of
the towns and communities; (f) what role
does the Western Australian Community Health Service (WACHS) play in
determining the decisions and outcomes of the implementation
committees; (g) how many services, and
the income generated from those services, have been billed to the Medicare
Benefits Scheme for each of the last three years by each of the communities and
towns that are covered by this program; and (h) what percentage of patients attending hospitals under this program
are Indigenous and Non-Indigenous in each of the towns and
communities?
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