KEEPING YOU INFORMED ABOUT YOUR PUBLIC HOSPITALS
The average cost of typical interventions and treatments
Our health system is large, complex and busy. There are more than 220 public hospitals in New South Wales with over 100,000 dedicated staff who make up the health workforce. This year the health budget reached a record $15.1 billion - every day in New South Wales we spend $36 million delivering health care to the people of New South Wales.
Our population is growing and it is also ageing. Technology, medical specialisation, new treatments and a wealth of medical research continually informing health care mean we are living longer but we are also costing more to treat.
The complexity and cost of the health system was highlighted during the course of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the NSW Health system.
The first recommendation (Rec 1) of the report was that:
NSW Health should consider whether in the interests of the public education and information it would be feasible to provide to patients upon discharge from public hospitals either an itemised list of the cost of their care based on the relevant case-mix formula or else to make publicly available the average cost of the typical interventions and treatments.
The New South Wales Government supported this recommendation and based on the views expressed by communities and clinicians during the consultation phase, it was agreed that the second route recommended by the Commissioner was preferred.
It is important to know that if you elect to be a public patient when admitted to a public hospital, you will not receive a bill for your stay.
The information provided on this website is aimed at filling a gap in the information available to people who are admitted to hospital. It might also promote discussion about the costs of care and where the money goes in the health system.
Your tax dollars contribute to meeting the costs of health care - it is your health system.
We hope you find this information useful and informative.
On a typical day in New South Wales:
- 4 900 people are admitted to one of our public hospitals.
- One thousand people will have their surgery performed in NSW public hospitals.
- And 17 000 people will spend the day in a public hospital.
- Over 100 000 dedicated staff care for over a million patients every year.
- 20 patients will have their hip replaced at a cost of $17,568 per replacement;
- 73 patients will have their cataracts removed at a cost of $3043 per cataract;
- 19 patients have their appendix removed at a cost of $5900 per patient
- 200 babies will be born (uncomplicated) at a cost of $3200
PATIENT JOURNEY SCENARIOS
- Han's Story
Hans, 51, has a history of complex chronic illness, including cardiac disease.
- Anne's Story
Anne is a mother of two teenagers and has arthritis.
- Joanne's Story
Joanne is a newlywed.
- Wilson's Story
Wilson is 67 and has Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease (COAD).