This article in a nutshell The Commonwealth Government has placed GPs as the cornerstone of a reinvigorated primary care system and has mandated them as the central clinician stakeholder group for Primary Health Networks (PHNs). It […]
Author: Lawrence Donaldson
International health system reform consultant.
How many Health Care Homes would be enough?
The Health Care Homes pilot program is still in its early stages so it’s premature to draw any conclusions. However there is one policy aspect that deserves attention. How many Health Care Homes does the […]
You can be a hospital whisperer but you may need to shout!
Do you have some special powers in gaining the attention and cooperation of your local hospital network? Perhaps you are the one co-opted by colleagues at your PHN as the in-house ‘hospital whisperer’. In my experience you […]
Sceptical or cynical about healthcare reform?
The everyday discourse in the primary health networks sees us applying labels to ourselves and others. We sometimes do this as a form of ‘shorthand’ to convey a perception of someone’s orientation and attitudes to healthcare […]
Are Health Care Homes Classic Market Disruptors?
Disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market-leading firms, products, and alliances. But the proposer of this theory laments […]
Commissioning with precision… it’s a new thing !
What are the different types of commissioning that we are using- the good, the bad and the indifferent? Feel free to add to this list: Transactional– conventional contracting of services for a specified period to an […]
Why do PHNs exist and what are they meant to do? …. let’s check the funding Deed to find out the 3 point remit!
In his review of the Medicare Locals in 2014 Professor Horvarth concluded: “I found lack of clarity in what many Medicare Locals are trying to achieve, with considerable variability in both the scope and delivery […]
Machiavelli has lessons for PHNs
Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence at the height of the Italian Renaissance. He survived the deadly political intrigues of the time to become a writer and philosopher in his retirement. He is […]
Of course it’s co-design stupid !
At the recent PHN Commissioning and Innovations Showcase in Newcastle participants shared news about the very significant progress PHNs had made nationally in the development of expertise in co-design. There was universal agreement that co-design […]
Risk Appetite Vs Reform Appetite
Is ‘risk appetite’ the same as ‘reform appetite’? I think that they are related but not exactly the same thing! Setting the risk appetite is a key responsibility for the PHN’s Board and is a central […]
Outcomes Based Commissioning and Feet-Based Walking
I have just had the pleasure of the company of many of the PHN’s thought-leaders at the National PHN Commissioning Showcase which was held at the stunning location of the Merewether Surf House in Newcastle. […]
Are we the “Gods of the Gaps”?
When asked what PHNs are meant to do I often find myself saying that we exist to “fill gaps in the local health system”. This satisfies most people as we seem to share a universal […]
Consumers… do we really care what they think?
We are meant to put patients at the heart of our commissioning efforts but we know that this is easier said than done. Clinicians don’t always feel comfortable sitting down with consumers to discuss how […]
Can PHNs really make a difference … and if so, how?
At the last PHN I worked for someone did the sums and concluded that the PHN controlled less than 0.7% of the overall health budget for the region. Why should anyone take us seriously then, […]
Is primary care really unsustainable?
We constantly hear politicians, clinicians and patients lamenting the state of our health system in Australia -but is it really that bad? -In global terms the WHO rates us one of the better performing health […]
The conversation CONTINUES
Thanks for taking the time to check out this blog! It is for the natural thought leaders in every PHN, at every level. You can contribute as yourself or anonymously if preferred. This is a […]
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