4390.0 - Private Hospitals, Australia, 2001-02  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/10/2003   
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MEDIA RELEASE

October 31, 2003
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
112/2003
Private Hospital Growth Continues

Private free-standing day hospital numbers in Australia have trebled from 72 to 236 between 1991-92 and 2001-02, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today.

During the same period, the numbers of private acute and psychiatric hospitals declined from 319 to 301.

In 2001-02, the private acute and psychiatric hospitals bed occupancy rate was 75.2%, an increase from 64.4% in 1991-92. Queensland recorded the highest increase of 4.2%.

In 2001-02, 80% of patients that separated from private acute and psychiatric hospitals had hospital insurance cover. This was an increase from 76% in 1997-98. The proportion of patients with hospital insurance that separated from private free-standing day hospital facilities had increased from 56% to 63% over the same five-year period.

In 2001-02, there were 2.1 million patients treated in private acute and psychiatric hospitals, an increase of 8% from the previous year. The number of patients treated at private free-standing day hospitals in 2001-02 increased by 10% to 433,300 from the previous year.

The average recurrent expenditure per patient day at private acute and psychiatric hospitals in 2001-02 was $703, compared with $657 in the previous year.

Costs per patient day increased with the number of beds in private acute and psychiatric hospitals. The cost per patient day in private acute and psychiatric hospitals ranged from an average of $451 for hospitals with 25 or fewer beds to $826 for hospitals with over 200 beds.

Further details are in Private Hospitals, Australia (cat. no. 4390.0).