mja.com.au | The Medical Journal of Australia

Home | Issues | MJA shop | MJA Careers | Contact | Topics | Search | RSS  | Login | Buy full access

Letters

National health reform needs strategic investment in health services research

Nicholas J Ferris, Stacy K Goergen and Makhan S Khangure
MJA 2008; 188 (12): 735-736

To the Editor: We were interested to read the article on health services research (HSR) in Australia,1 and the previous editorial and articles on health technology assessment (HTA).2-5

In contrast to Australia’s prominent role in applying HSR and HTA to new pharmaceuticals, there has been very little local development of these techniques in evaluating new diagnostic technologies.

The Quality Use of Diagnostic Imaging program of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists recently examined the introduction of new imaging technologies in Australia, with particular attention to Medicare Benefits Schedule funding. The major findings were:

The generation of such evidence is costly, but, arguably, cost-effective in the longer term. Data collection by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine during the interim funding of positron emission tomography has cost $2.5 million. This “coverage with evidence” approach is used in other countries, like the United States and the United Kingdom, to generate relevant evidence about the performance of emerging technologies when this does not exist in the published literature The current restriction of MSAC reviews to examining existing evidence, rather than sponsoring projects designed to provide specific relevant evidence, ensures continuing delays in the approval of new technologies for Medicare funding.

Nicholas J Ferris, Radiologist1Stacy K Goergen, Director of Research2Makhan S Khangure, Radiologist,3 Clinical Professor,4 and President5

1 Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC.

2 Department of Radiology, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, VIC.

3 SKG Radiology, Perth, WA.

4 School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA.

5 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, Sydney, NSW.

Nick.FerrisATpetermac.org

  1. Hall JP, Viney RC. National health reform needs strategic investment in health services research. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 33-35. <eMJA full text> <PubMed>
  2. Jackson TJ. Health technology assessment in Australia: challenges ahead. Med J Aust 2007; 187: 262-264. <eMJA full text> <PubMed>
  3. Walley T. Health technology assessment in England: assessment and appraisal. Med J Aust 2007; 187: 283-285. <eMJA full text> <PubMed>
  4. Hailey DM. Health technology assessment in Canada: diversity and evolution. Med J Aust 2007; 187: 286-288. <eMJA full text> <PubMed>
  5. Petherick ES, Villanueva EV, Dumville J, et al. An evaluation of methods used in health technology assessments produced for the Medical Services Advisory Committee. Med J Aust 2007; 187: 289-292. <eMJA full text> <PubMed>

(Received 7 Feb 2008, accepted 26 Feb 2008)


Home | Issues | MJA shop | Terms of use | MJA Careers | More... | Contact | Topics | Search | RSS 

mja.com.au | The Medical Journal of Australia  

©The Medical Journal of Australia 2008 www.mja.com.au PRINT ISSN: 0025-729X ONLINE ISSN: 1326-5377