Evidence-based policy push
March 14, 2016
THE challenge of reforming
Australia’s health system is being
“enthusiastically embraced” by the
country’s bureaucracy, according
to Martin Bowles, secretary of the
Federal Department of Health.
Speaking on Fri to the Committee
for Economic Development of
Australia (CEDA), Bowles said
modernising the system is a big
challenge, but he is “confident
great changes can be achieved by
innovative, data-driven, evidence based
policy making”.
Bowles said he had made
widespread structural changes
within the department, so staff
can “participate effectively in this
unique opportunity for change”
with strong pressure due to the
country’s ageing population and
epidemic of chronic disease.
He also cited “outmoded primary
care financing arrangements,
a disconnected health system
and the need to embrace digital
technology” as key issues.
“This is why the Australian
government has a string of parallel
and complementary health
reforms currently underway, and
implementing new strategies from
these reviews requires new ways of
thinking,” Bowles said.
As well as the review of the
Medical Benefits Schedule, other
issues in play include private health
insurance and the implementation
of electronic health records.
Data is key to driving policy,
with Bowles saying one of his
most pressing concerns is taking
advantage of better data collection
and reporting, “to give us the
evidence of what is required, what
is working and what isn’t.
“We need to put data, analytics,
evaluation and research at the
centre of health care to make the
system work smarter and more
effectively,” he added.
Despite the excitement of
innovation and opportunity, “the
pressures are ever present and
if not managed properly could
overwhelm us,” he warned.
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