Research

Open access  CC BY 4.0

Health policy Indigenous health Infectious diseases
Volume 224 - Published ahead of Issue 10

Costs of Delivering the Hep B PAST Model of Care in Remote Australia: A Retrospective Pre–Post Study

Authors:  Hoa Nguyen, Anh Le Tuan Nguyen, Paula Binks, Melita McKinnon, Emily Vintour-Cesar, Karen Wills, Nicola Stephens, Benjamin Cowie, Joshua S. Davis, Yuejen Zhao, Peter Nihill, Julie A. Campbell, Andrew J. Palmer, Jane Davies, Barbara de Graaff

Correspondence: barbara.degraaff@utas.edu.au

Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70292
Published online: 30 September 2026
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Abstract

Objectives 

To estimate the direct medical costs of the Hep B Partnership Program (Hep B PAST) model of care compared with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) usual care from the health system perspective (Northern Territory (NT) Department of Health and the Commonwealth).

Study Type

Retrospective cohort study (2014–2023) that linked primary care with inpatient, emergency, outpatient and outreach datasets. Costs were applied using National Weighted Activity Units, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and NT Government costings. A pre- and post-implementation design from a health system perspective was applied, with costs in 2023 Australian dollars.

Setting

Remote communities in the NT, Australia.

Participants

The cohort included all First Nations people living with CHB who were attending a clinic in a remote community that had consented to the Hep B PAST program, and who received care between 1 July 2014 and 31 May 2023.

Main Outcome Measures

Annual mean and median healthcare costs per contact and per individual across service types, with comparisons of annual mean costs per individual between pre- and post-Hep B PAST using partially overlapping t-tests.

Results

Among 1063 First Nations individuals with CHB, annual median costs per individual were similar for usual care ($639 [interquartile range, $366–1156]) and Hep B PAST ($770 [interquartile range, $400–1272]); mean costs were also similar for usual care versus Hep B PAST ($1701 vs. $1970; p = 0.12). By service type, annual median costs were similar for inpatient services ($7777 vs. $7795), primary care ($327 vs. $302) and outpatient visits ($1985 vs. $1858), and higher for Hep B PAST for emergency services ($1339 vs. $1672) and outreach care ($373 vs. $746).

Conclusions

In remote First Nations communities, Hep B PAST was delivered with a modest increase in direct medical costs compared with usual care. These findings can be used to inform future cost-effective evaluations. Future cost savings from decreased hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure were not included.

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