Concerns hospital giant could 'cherrypick' private patients from public hospital

Ramsay Health Care has secured privileged access to a Queensland public emergency department through a trial scheme that prioritizes transferring privately insured patients to its nearby facilities. This initiative, now slated for national rollout, involves a Ramsay-employed nurse stationed in the Sunshine Coast University Hospital's ED to streamline patient transfers.

“

Our fundamental concern is making sure if there's arrangement like this in any hospital, it must be done in a way where people are given an unpressured opportunity to choose.

The Emergency Department Nurse Liaison (EDNL) program, designed to alleviate pressure on public emergency departments, has drawn criticism due to the special access granted to a single private provider. In its first year, the scheme facilitated the transfer of over 2,000 patients from the public system to one of three private Ramsay hospitals. Ramsay has confirmed similar liaison roles are being established at its Northern Private Hospital in Melbourne and other facilities across Australia.

“

We would like to see the evaluation of this pilot include whether people who fit a particular cohort were more likely to move into private than others.

Patient advocates voice serious concerns that this arrangement could lead to "cherrypicking" – the selection of high-volume, low-cost patients for private treatment while the public system is left with more complex cases. Keith Tracey-Patte, chief executive of Health Consumers Queensland, emphasized the need for patients to have an "unpressured opportunity to choose" their care pathway. He questioned whether the pilot evaluation would assess if certain patient cohorts were disproportionately moved to private care.

“

I'd be uncomfortable if there was decision to roll this out more broadly without a full evaluation.

Tracey-Patte also raised concerns about the potential for patients to feel pressured into choosing private care, especially when they are at their most vulnerable. He expressed discomfort with the idea of rolling out the program more broadly without a comprehensive evaluation. The arrangement also prompts questions about its suitability in metropolitan areas with multiple competing private hospitals, with Tracey-Patte asking if it constitutes "ambulance chasing."

“

I completely understand pressure on emergency departme