Inquiry into access to and affordability of medical specialists in Australia

Terms of Reference

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability will inquire into and report on access to and affordability of medical specialists in Australia, with the aim to: a) Examine current access to medical specialists in cities, regional and rural communities, with consideration of workforce distribution, shortages, waiting times and barriers to recruitment, retention and training. b) Examine the effectiveness, transparency and equity of referral pathways from the perspective of patients, primary health care practitioners and medical specialists across the public and private health sectors, with consideration of factors affecting referral patterns and any systemic, regulatory or administrative barriers to the appropriate utilisation of these pathways. c) Examine the affordability of specialist services, including out of pocket costs for consultations, diagnostics, procedures, and patient access to specialists through public health services, as well as factors influencing fee setting by specialists in the public and private health sectors. d) Examine the impact on patient outcomes by delays due to cost, distance and waiting times, and broader system impacts on primary care, emergency departments, public hospitals, chronic disease management, as well as impacts on people due to deferred or missed care, and e) Assess innovative and emerging models of care that may improve access to medical specialists PO Box 6021Parliament HouseCANBERRACanberra ACT 2600Phone:+61 2 6277 4145Health.Reps@aph.gov.au