Australia has some of the best health outcomes in the world with low infant mortality rates and a high life expectancy, even compared with other developed countries. About ** percent of Australia’s GDP is spent on health, which amounted to about *** billion Australian dollars in the financial year 2023. Australia’s spending on health also includes the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which subsidizes the cost of essential medicines and Medicare, Australia’s universal public health insurance. Medicare, Australia’s universal health careIntroduced in 1984, Medicare is a federal government health care scheme that fully funds or subsidizes medical services, public hospital care, and selected medicines for Australian residents. In 2024, **** billion Australian dollars were spent on Medicare benefit payments, including over ** billion Australian dollars on subsidized medications thought the associated PBS. Despite universal access to public health insurance, Australians are still concerned about additional health care costs. A significant proportion of Australians still choose to insure themselves privately, with a 2024 report finding that around ** percent had private health insurance in the country. Public hospital care The Australian public hospital funding represents the largest component of health spending and is administered through the state and territory governments. In 2023, public hospital services saw an increase in overall health expenditure at a rate of *** percent on the previous year. Public hospitals usually offer a comprehensive range of services and are generally more widely accessible than private hospital care but despite the relatively high quality of public hospital care, wait times for certain treatments can be long and some Australians choose private hospital care for certain elective surgeries and more choice over their health care professionals.

In financial year 2024, the total value of Medicare benefits that were paid in Australia amounted to just under ** billion Australian dollars. Medicare provides eligible patients access to medical, optometry, hospital care, and other allied health services in Australia.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of patients with costs, the total out-of-pocket cost per patient at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile and various statistics for all patients. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey. The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of patients with imaging costs, and out-of-pocket cost per diagnostic imaging service attendance at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey.

The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report.

For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

• Diagnostic imaging services are Medicare-subsidised diagnostic imaging procedures such as x-rays, computerised tomography scans, ultrasound scans, magnetic resonance imaging scans and nuclear medicine scans.

• Out-of-pocket cost per service is the net cost to the patient of a health service, after deducting the Medicare benefit paid. The measure is calculated per patient (patients' annual out-of-pocket cost for eligible attendances, divided by the number of eligible attendances that the patient claimed in the year), for patients with out-of-pocket costs.

• The data is based on the patient's Medicare enrolment postcode, not where they received the health care service. Most peoples' Medicare enrolment postcode will be their residential postcode.

• If a service was flagged as bulk-billed, then the fee charged was set to equal the benefit paid (so there was no out-of-pocket cost for that service).

• Patients were excluded if the sum of eligible services in the year was less than one, or if their annual out-of-pocket expenditure on the eligible services was equal to or less than zero.

• Includes non-hospital Medicare-subsidised services only.

• NP - Not available for publication. The estimate is considered to be unreliable. Values assigned to NP in the original data have been set to null.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of patients with GP costs, and out-of-pocket cost per GP attendance at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey.

The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report.

For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

• GP attendances are Medicare-subsidised patient/doctor encounters, such as visits and consultations, for which the patient has not been referred by another doctor. GP attendances exclude services provided by practice nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners on a GP's behalf.

• Out-of-pocket cost per service is the net cost to the patient of a health service, after deducting the Medicare benefit paid. The measure is calculated per patient (patients' annual out-of-pocket cost for eligible attendances, divided by the number of eligible attendances that the patient claimed in the year), for patients with out-of-pocket costs.

• The data is based on the patient's Medicare enrolment postcode, not where they received the health care service. Most peoples' Medicare enrolment postcode will be their residential postcode.

• If a service was flagged as bulk-billed, then the fee charged was set to equal the benefit paid (so there was no out-of-pocket cost for that service).

• Patients were excluded if the sum of eligible services in the year was less than one, or if their annual out-of-pocket expenditure on the eligible services was equal to or less than zero.

• Includes non-hospital Medicare-subsidised services only.

• NP - Not available for publication. The estimate is considered to be unreliable. Values assigned to NP in the original data have been set to null.

In financial year 2024, Australian Government Medicare expenditure on mental health-specific services provided by psychiatrists amounted to around *** million Australian dollars, being the largest proportion of spending. This was followed by ****** million Australian dollars spent on services provided by clinical psychologists.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of patients with specialist and obstetric costs, and out-of-pocket cost per specialist and obstetric attendance at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey. The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who delayed or did not see a medical specialist, GP, get an imaging test or get a pathology test when needed due to cost in the last 12 months. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who delayed or did not see a medical specialist, GP, get an imaging test or get a pathology test when needed due to cost in the last 12 months. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey. The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas. The data is based on the patient's Medicare enrolment postcode, not where they received the health care service. Most peoples' Medicare enrolment postcode will be their residential postcode. The data excludes pathology and imaging tests conducted in a hospital, and any dental imaging tests. If respondents sought clarification on the definition of a medical specialist, interviewers were instructed to advise that medical specialists provide services which are covered, at least in part, by Medicare (e.g. dermatologists, cardiologists, neurologists and gynaecologists). Imaging tests or diagnostic imaging include all tests that produce images or pictures of the inside of the body in order to diagnose diseases. Tests involve the use of radiant energy, including x-rays, sound waves, radio waves, and radioactive waves and particles that are recorded by photographic films or other types of detectors. Pathology tests refer to laboratory tests that include analysis of specimens such as urine and blood in order to diagnose disease. The survey excludes persons aged less than 15 years, persons living in non-private dwellings and the Indigenous Community Strata (encompassing discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities). Data for Northern Territory should be interpreted with caution as the Patient Experience Survey excluded the Indigenous Community Strata, which comprises around 25% of the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory living in private dwellings. Rows that contain a "#" in "Interpret with Caution" indicates that the estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50%, which indicates a high level of sampling error relative to its value and must be taken into account when comparing this estimate with other values. NP - Not available for publication. The estimate is considered to be unreliable. Values assigned to NP in the original data have been set to null. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/16/2021. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of specialist attendances and associated Medicare benefits expenditure per person. Specialist attendance has been calculated with the total services from eligible claims (excluding any bulk-billed incentive items or other top-up items), divided by the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) at the previous end of the financial year. Specialist expenditure has been calculated with the total benefit paid for eligible claims, divided by the ERP at …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of specialist attendances and associated Medicare benefits expenditure per person. Specialist attendance has been calculated with the total services from eligible claims (excluding any bulk-billed incentive items or other top-up items), divided by the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) at the previous end of the financial year. Specialist expenditure has been calculated with the total benefit paid for eligible claims, divided by the ERP at the previous end of the financial year. The data spans the financial years of 2010-2017 and is aggregated to Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) geographic areas from the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services. For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. MBS claims data do not include services that were provided free of charge to public patients in hospitals or were subsidised by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, compensation arrangements or through other publicly funded programs including jurisdictional salaried GP services provided in remote outreach clinics. Specialist attendances are Medicare benefits-funded referred patient/doctor encounters, such as visits, consultations, and attendances by video conference, involving medical practitioners who have been recognised as specialists or consultant physicians for Medicare benefits purposes. Expenditure on GP/specialist attendances comprises MBS funding for patient/doctor encounters. Expenditure is reported unadjusted for inflation. Bulk-billing is an arrangement in which a medical practitioner sends the bill directly to Medicare, so the patient pays nothing. Also known as direct billing. Age-standardisation allows fairer comparisons to be made between areas by accounting for variation in the age of populations within each area. This adjustment is important because the rates of many health conditions and health service use vary with age. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/3/2020. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who delayed or did not see a GP when needed due to cost in the last 12 months. The data spans the financial years of 2013-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey. The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who delayed or did not see a GP when needed due to cost in the last 12 months. The data spans the financial years of 2013-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey.

The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report.

For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

• The data is based on the patient's Medicare enrolment postcode, not where they received the health care service. Most peoples' Medicare enrolment postcode will be their residential postcode.

• The data excludes pathology and imaging tests conducted in a hospital, and any dental imaging tests.

• If respondents sought clarification on the definition of a medical specialist, interviewers were instructed to advise that medical specialists provide services which are covered, at least in part, by Medicare (e.g. dermatologists, cardiologists, neurologists and gynaecologists).

• Imaging tests or diagnostic imaging include all tests that produce images or pictures of the inside of the body in order to diagnose diseases. Tests involve the use of radiant energy, including x-rays, sound waves, radio waves, and radioactive waves and particles that are recorded by photographic films or other types of detectors.

• Pathology tests refer to laboratory tests that include analysis of specimens such as urine and blood in order to diagnose disease.

• The survey excludes persons aged less than 15 years, persons living in non-private dwellings and the Indigenous Community Strata (encompassing discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities).

• Data for Northern Territory should be interpreted with caution as the Patient Experience Survey excluded the Indigenous Community Strata, which comprises around 25% of the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory living in private dwellings.

• Rows that contain a "#" in "Interpret with Caution" indicates that the estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50%, which indicates a high level of sampling error relative to its value and must be taken into account when comparing this estimate with other values.

• NP - Not available for publication. The estimate is considered to be unreliable. Values assigned to NP in the original data have been set to null.

In financial year 2022, Australian Government Medicare expenditure on mental health-specific services in major cities amounted to ***** Australian dollars per capita. In contrast, the lowest per capita expenditure of ***** Australian dollars accounted for very remote Australia.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who did not claim a general practitioner (GP) attendance. This has been calculated with the number of people who did not claim a GP …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of people who did not claim a general practitioner (GP) attendance. This has been calculated with the number of people who did not claim a GP attendance, divided by the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) as at 30 June 2016, and multiplied by 100. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services. For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas. MBS claims data do not include services that were provided free of charge to public patients in hospitals or were subsidised by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, compensation arrangements or through other publicly funded programs including jurisdictional salaried GP services provided in remote outreach clinics. GP attendances are Medicare benefit-funded patient/doctor encounters, such as visits and consultations, for which the patient has not been referred by another doctor. GP attendances do not include services provided by practice nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners on a GP's behalf. Unique GP patients were identified through the Patient Identification Numbers (PINs) in the Medicare claim records. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/3/2020. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Predicted increase in monthly expenditure associated with a range of baseline characteristics in participants with poorly controlled asthma ($AU).

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of general practitioner (GP) attendances and associated Medicare benefits expenditure per person. GP attendance has been calculated with the total services from eligible claims (excluding any bulk-billed incentive items or other top-up items), divided by the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) as at 30 June 2016. GP expenditure has been calculated with the total benefit paid for eligible claims, divided by the ERP as at 30 June 2016. The data spans the financial years of 2010-2017 and is aggregated to Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) geographic areas from the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services. For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

This dataset presents the footprint of the number of general practitioner (GP) attendances in residential aged-care facilities per patient who received at least one GP attendance in a facility. This has been calculated with the total services from eligible claims (not including any bulk-billed incentive items or other top-up items), divided by the count of patients where the sum of GP attendances in residential aged-care facilities is greater than or equal to 1. The data spans the financial years of 2013-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services.

For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

• MBS claims data do not include services that were provided free of charge to public patients in hospitals or were subsidised by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, compensation arrangements or through other publicly funded programs including jurisdictional salaried GP services provided in remote outreach clinics.

• A claim is classified as a GP attendance in a residential aged-care facility if the Medicare service is one of the following codes: 00020, 00035, 00043, 00051, 00092, 00093, 00095, 00096, 05010, 05028, 05049, 05067, 05260, 05263, 05265, 05267, 00731, 00903, 02125, 02138, 02179, 02220.

• GP attendances in residential aged-care facilities comprise only GP attendances provided to patients in a residential aged-care facility.

This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of patients with imaging costs, and out-of-pocket cost per diagnostic imaging service attendance at the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentile. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) from the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. The claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim has been processed by the Department of Human Services. Data are reported for claims processed between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The data also contains the results from the ABS 2016-17 Patient Experience Survey, collected between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. The Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and collects information from a representative sample of the Australian population. The Patient Experience Survey is one of several components of the Multipurpose Household Survey, as a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey. The Patients' spending on Medicare Services data accompanies the Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016-17 Report. For further information about this dataset, visit the data source:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services Data Tables.

This dataset presents the footprint of the rates of general practitioner (GP) and specialist attendances by age group and sex. The data spans the financial year of 2016-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services.

For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables.

Please note:

• AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.

• MBS claims data do not include services that were provided free of charge to public patients in hospitals or were subsidised by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, compensation arrangements or through other publicly funded programs including jurisdictional salaried GP services provided in remote outreach clinics.

• GP attendances are Medicare benefit-funded patient/doctor encounters, such as visits and consultations, for which the patient has not been referred by another doctor. GP attendances do not include services provided by practice nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners on a GP's behalf.

• GP after-hours attendances are Medicare benefit-funded after-hours patient/doctor encounters, such as visits and consultations, for which the patient has not been referred by another doctor. They include urgent and non-urgent attendances.

• Specialist attendances are Medicare benefits-funded referred patient/doctor encounters, such as visits, consultations, and attendances by video conference, involving medical practitioners who have been recognised as specialists or consultant physicians for Medicare benefits purposes.