Targeting reduction in preventable hospitalisations is a specific objective of health care reform in Australia, with the aim of improving patients’ outcomes, reducing pressure on hospitals and enhancing health system efficiency and cost-effectiveness.  Measuring preventable hospitalisations also provides important insights into how well health systems are performing in keeping Australians healthy and out of hospital.

Preventable hospitalisations are those that may have been avoided by improved chronic disease management and timely access and appropriate provision of non-hospital health services, or better identification of patients at risk of hospital readmission and improved discharge planning and follow up.

This Think Tank featured academics from the Deeble Institute who sought to to answer the question: How should the health system respond to the growing pressure to reduce the rates of preventable hospitalisations?

Presentations included:

• Opening Address by Minister for Health, The Hon Greg Hunt MP
   
• Myth busting Hospital Avoidance
  Professor Richard Reed, Head, Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, Flinders University, DIrector, Primary Health Care Research Information Service (PHCRIS)
  View this presentation
   
• Value capture as a means of financing patient-centred health care homes across Australia
  Professor Stephen Jan, Head, Health Economics and Process Evaluation Program, The George Institute and Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney
  View this presentation
   
• Characteristics of older people who represent to the Emergency Department within 30 days of discharge
  Associate Professor Laurie Grealish, Griffith University and Gold Coast Health
  View this presentation
   
• Primary care: system improvement and integration
  Jodi Briggs, Executive Director, Innovation and Integration, Eastern Melbourne PHN
   
• Thunderstorm Asthma "All Lined Up"
  Paul Holman ASM, Director, Emergency Management, Ambulance Victoria
   
• Alternative models of hospital care for older people – the Kilcoy connect experience.
  Dr Tracy Comans, Principal Research Fellow, Griffith University
  View this presentation
   
• End of life hospitalisations differ for older Australian women according to death trajectory: a longitudinal data linkage study
  Dr Melissa L Harris, Newcastle University
   
• Acute hospital diversion of dental patients presenting to Emergency Departments
  Associate Professor Matthew Hopcraft, Dental Health Services Victoria
  View this presentation
   
• Value Based Healthcare
  Dr Deborah Cole, Chief Executive Officer, Dental Health Services Victoria
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Read the full agenda here.

This Think Tank was presented with the support of HESTA.