Page 2490 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 23 August 1994
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MR CONNOLLY: In fact, no, they have not, Mr Kaine. If you read the document rather than your leader's silly press release you would be better informed, but I would welcome a question on that.
Madam Speaker, the Arthur Andersen report was tabled in this place earlier this year and it made the point that ACT Health had to do a lot to improve its financial management system. As a result of that and as a result of decisions made by Mr Berry some 18 months ago, we have been working on developing a casemix financial control system using a technique by the name of Trendstar. That system is now on line in Woden Valley Hospital, meaning that we actually have real time data on actual costs of patients going through the system. That, as Arthur Andersen said, is an absolute prerequisite to sound financial planning. We have still not got on top of the issue. We still had an overspend of $4.5m, or, if we take Mrs Carnell's way of counting, $7.5m. I will accept $7.5m if you will accept that Mr Humphries and Mr Kaine overexpended by $16m. I am happy to compare myself with that. The Trendstar system will give us state-of-the-art financial management control systems to use as a tool, not as a master.
Mrs Carnell is fond of issuing statements saying that casemix is the answer to everything in Health. Here is a front page of the Melbourne Herald Sun of a week or so ago which says, "Hospitals in bed crisis". That is what you get with casemix running your system. If you talk to any doctor about Mrs Carnell's pronouncements on casemix you will hear about this sort of Herald Sun headline, "Hospitals in bed crisis", or the Age article on page 3 last week announcing how a pain relief centre is closing down. We need to develop our pain relief centre, but at least we are moving in that direction instead of moving away from it. The pain relief centre closed down as a result of casemix, said the Melbourne Age. So, Madam Speaker, we are developing much better financial control techniques. They are on line; but, under Labor, casemix will be a tool and not a master.
Madam Speaker, there is another very significant development. We are starting to reap some results from some decisions made a long time ago, and Mr Berry deserves full credit for making this decision a long time ago when there was no political benefit in it because it was a very long-term exercise. We have now brought on line, Madam Speaker, a patient record system which is not just up to national standard, it is the best in Australia. It is the only on-line computerised patient record system in Australia, and one of a handful in the world. Woden Valley Hospital, as part of the hospital redevelopment project, took the opportunity to move to absolute state-of-the-art patient data management systems. If you think that is just some whiz-bang gismo, let me give you an example of what it means.
Mrs Carnell: No; it is good.
MR CONNOLLY: No other State has this, Mrs Carnell. All of them are coming to Woden and looking at what we have. What it means is this: Previously, if you were unfortunate enough to require ambulance treatment, you were taken to the hospital and to the emergency department. You were taken unconscious into the emergency ward. The treating doctor seeks to stabilise you and wants to know whether there is a patient history and whether you are allergic to a medication - a very vital piece of information.
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