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PubMedDate not supplied

Use of Queensland Hospital services by interstate and overseas visitors.

In response to concerns about the number of interstate and overseas visitors using Queensland hospital services, the present study examined a sample of 1,295 hospital records to determine the proportion of patients who were incorrectly identified as Queensland residents. Across six hospitals the overall detection rate was 4.6%. Rates varied between hospitals, with the highest detection recorded for Goondiwindi near the Queensland/New South Wales border; and the lowest for Prince Charles in Brisbane. There were also important variations across hospitals based on specific holiday periods. In particular, Goondiwindi and the Gold Coast had substantially higher detection rates for the Christmas holiday period (December-January) than for the mid-year period (June-August). These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for hospital services, especially lost revenue and increased patient load. Health information managers are identified as a key group for addressing some of the current problems in this area.

Catchment Area, Health↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparing ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 classification systems in a primary health care setting: some initial observations.

The ICD-10 is due to be introduced into Australia during the late 1990s, superseding the current and widely used ICD-9-CM. Improvements in areas such as number of codes, an expanded external cause framework, and more context to injuries are expected to make the ICD-10 a more streamlined system for practitioners. The present study examined both classification formats using data from 1183 presentations to primary health clinics at island tourist resorts. Some initial observations are made about differences in the two systems, highlighting the greater coding detail provided by the ICD-10, particularly in the area of injuries. It is recommended that further empirical testing be undertaken using the ICD-10 in a variety of settings so as to identify benefits in the coding of both medical conditions and injuries.

Abstracting and Indexing↗