ABF Education and Research Strategy

1. Overview

Table of contents

1.1 Purpose

The ABF Education and Research Strategy clarifies the role of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA) Pricing Authority in relation to its involvement in education and training associated with the introduction of nationally consistent activity based funding.

1.2 Background

In August 2011, the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) was signed, outlining the nature, timing and responsibilities for a nationally consistent ABF system. The NHRA outlines the responsibilities of the Commonwealth and the States, together with the creation of new national bodies (including IHPA) to perform specified functions.

In December 2011, the National Health Reform Act 2011 (the Act), was amended to specify the functions of the IHPA. Under the Act, the main functions of the IHPA are to:

determine the national efficient price for health care services provided by public hospitals where the services are funded on an activity basis;
determine the efficient cost for health care services provided by public hospitals where the services are block funded; and
to publish this and other information, in a report each year for the purpose of informing decision makers in relation to the funding of public hospitals (section 128).

Under section 131 of the Act, supplementary functions of the IHPA include the development and specification of classification systems for health care and other services provided by public hospitals (section 131 (c)); and determining the data requirements and data standards that will apply to data supplied by the states (section 131 (e)).

In exercising these functions the IHPA is obliged to have regard to relevant expertise and best practice within Australia and internationally (section 131 (3)(a)).

IHPA’s education, training and research strategy is composed of three elements:

ABF workforce development;
development of national training resources; and
ABF-related research.

Each of these are addressed in turn below.

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Published date: 22 March 2012