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HEALTH BENEFIT AND HEALTHCARE RESOURCE GROUP CLASSIFICATIONS: LINKING HEALTH CARE NEEDS TO RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS ACROSS THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR
The study shows that the most resource consuming sexually transmitted diseases in the NT were gonorrhoea and chlamydia and highlights that the majority of resources are spent where they have little effect on disease transmission and points to the need for investment in community based health promotion and preventive programs.
Abstract
This paper describes the development and application of a community based Health Benefit Group and Healthcare Resource Group (HBG/HRG) classification in the Northern Territory of Australia (NT). HBG/HRG classifications were defined following the framework develope d in the United Kingdom. Data were obtained from the hospital morbidity database, notifiable disease register and the NT government accounting system for the 1997/98 financial year. The study shows that the most resource consuming sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the NT were gonorrhoea and chlamydia (61% of total resources). It was estimated that AUD$3 per person was spent for sexual health promotion and education, $15 for clinic based STD preventive strategies, $318 per case for diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic STDs, $2 974 per case for acute hospital care and $560 per case for community based care of people with chronic STD related conditions. The HBG/HRG classification highlights that the majority of resources are spent where they have little effect on disease transmission and points to the need for investment in community based health promotion and preventive programs.