Indigenous Better Cardiac Care measure: 1.1-Annual health assessments, 2016
Indicator Attributes
Identifying and definitional attributes | |
Metadata item type: | Indicator |
---|---|
Indicator type: | Indicator |
Short name: | 1.1-Annual health assessments, 2016 |
METEOR identifier: | 657009 |
Registration status: | Health!, Standard 17/08/2017 |
Description: | Number and percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have received a Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) health assessment within a 12-month period. |
Rationale: | This measure falls within Priority area 1 of the Better Cardiac Care project—early cardiovascular risk assessment and management. This priority area is based on the premise that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have no known cardiac disease should receive:
Primary prevention in the form of early and consistent risk factor identification and management will improve long-term outcomes for Indigenous Australians, reduce the population burden of chronic cardiac disease and improve the appropriate delivery of care by the health-care system. Health assessments aim to increase preventative health opportunities, detect chronic disease risk factors, better manage existing chronic disease and reduce inequities in access to primary care for Indigenous Australians. Early detection and management of the risk factors for cardiac disease (such as smoking, physical inactivity and high blood pressure) can reduce the incidence of cardiac disease and lessen its severity. |
Indicator set: |
Collection and usage attributes | |
Computation description: | Data are presented separately for MBS 715 health assessments and for general MBS health assessments. Data are presented as a number and percentage. For analysis of change over time, age-standardised rates are also calculated. Data are based on financial years. |
---|---|
Computation: | Number: Numerator Crude rate: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) x 100 Age-standardised rate: calculated using the direct method, and the Australian standard population as at 30 June 2001. |
Numerator: | Number of Indigenous Australians who received an MBS health assessment within the financial year. |
Numerator data elements: | |
Denominator: | Estimated population at the middle of the financial year, calculated from the average of the population estimates/projections at 30 June at the beginning and end of the financial year. |
Denominator data elements: | |
Disaggregation: | Current period (2014–15), Indigenous Australians, by:
Current period (2014–15), Indigenous Australians, MBS item 715 health assessments by:
Time series (2004–05 to 2014–15), Indigenous Australians, MBS Item 715 health assessments by:
|
Disaggregation data elements: | |
Comments: | General: The numerator for this measure is drawn from MBS data. For 2016 reporting, the most recent data available are for 2014–15. MBS data reflect MBS claims processed and not necessarily all services rendered. For example, a person may be provided with equivalent care from a health-care provider who is not eligible to bill Medicare. The data are based on the date of processing of claims. The claim may have been made by the patient (or their representative) or by the health-care provider. If a service was rendered but not claimed within the reference period, then that service will not be included in those data. The denominator data used in the calculation of rates are ABS estimates and projections (Series B) based on the 2011 Census. Types of health assessments: MBS item 715 health assessment—All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, regardless of age, are eligible for an annual Indigenous-specific health check through the MBS. This health check, listed as item 715 on the MBS, was designed especially for Indigenous people. It was established because Indigenous Australians have considerably higher morbidity and mortality levels than non-Indigenous Australians, with earlier onset and more severe disease progression for many chronic diseases. The aim of the health checks is to provide Indigenous Australians with primary health care matched to their needs by supporting early detection, diagnosis and intervention for common and treatable conditions. General MBS health assessment—There are four time-based health assessment items, consisting of brief, standard, long and prolonged consultations (MBS items 701, 703, 705 and 707, respectively). All Australians (including both non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians) are eligible to receive such assessments if they meet specific criteria—see Department of Health 2015 for details. Indigenous identification: The identification of Indigenous Australians in MBS data is not complete. Since 2002, individuals who choose to identify as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin have been able to have this information recorded on the Medicare database through the Voluntary Indigenous Identifier (VII). Indigenous identification is through either a Medicare VII form or a tick-box on a Medicare enrolment form. Both methods indicate that identifying as Indigenous is optional. As at March 2016, an estimated 65% of the Indigenous population had identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin through the VII process (AIHW 2016). Use of the VII in calculations for this measure MBS item 715 is an Indigenous-specific health assessment—thus, in the calculations for this type of health assessment, it is assumed that all people who receive an MBS 715 are Indigenous. For the other types of MBS health assessments (which relate to services that can be claimed irrespective of Indigenous status), Indigenous status is determined using the VII. As not all Indigenous Australians have recorded their Indigenous status with Medicare, the MBS data based on the VII were scaled up by the Australian Government Department of Health to reflect the size of the total Indigenous population. |
Representational attributes | |
Representation class: | Percentage |
Data type: | Real |
Unit of measure: | Person |
Format: | N[NN].N |
Data source attributes | |
Data sources: | |
Accountability attributes | |
Reporting requirements: | Annual reporting by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW 2015, 2016). |
Organisation responsible for providing data: | Australian Government Department of Health |
Release date: | 24/11/2016 |
Source and reference attributes | |
Submitting organisation: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
Origin: | AIHW 2016. Better Cardiac Care measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: second national report 2016. Cat. no. IHW 169. Canberra: AIHW. |
Reference documents: | AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2015. Better Cardiac Care measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: first national report 2015. Cat. no. IHW 156. Canberra: AIHW. AIHW 2016. Better Cardiac Care measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: second national report 2016. Cat. no. IHW 169. Canberra: AIHW. Better Cardiac Care Forum 2014. National recommendations for Better Cardiac Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: post-forum report. Unpublished paper prepared for Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council meeting, Canberra, June. Department of Health 2015. Medicare Benefits Schedule—Note A25. Canberra: Department of Health. Viewed 6 September 2016, http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&qt= NACCHO & RACGP (National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation & Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) 2012. National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. South Melbourne: RACGP. |
Relational attributes | |
Related metadata references: | See also Indigenous Better Cardiac Care measure: 1.3-Primary care practitioner follow-up, 2016 Health!, Standard 17/08/2017 |