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Policy & Issues

The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) is dedicated to developing innovative and effective policy and technical solutions to the issues affecting private hospitals, their patients and suppliers. We work across a range of policy and advocacy forums to ensure private hospital care is the highest quality, affordable and provides the immediate access patients expect.

Policy Papers

These documents represent the agreed position of the APHA and it's members in pursuit of the best possible outcomes for patients, insured people, the Australian healthcare system and the tens of thousands of dedicated professionals working in our private hospitals...

Psychiatry Committee Position Paper [PDF 208.1 kb]
With more than 1-in-5 Australians aged 16-85 years experiencing a mental disorder in the previous 12 months, and private hospitals caring for 61% of acute mental health admissions, the APHA's Psychiatry Committee sets its priorities for the vital health need...
Rehabilitation Committee Position Paper [PDF 204.2 kb]
Separations for rehabilitation in Australia have typically increased year-on-years with private hospitals playing a critical role in rehabilitation services. In 2023-24, 81.5% of all rehabilitation admissions were cared for by private hospitals, underscoring both the importance of private hospitals to rehabilitation and the need for a healthy and well-resourced sector...
Safety & Quality Taskforce Position Paper [PDF 179.5 kb]
The primary purpose of the Quality and Safety Taskforce is to assist and advise the APHA Board in its leadership role of the private hospitals sector with regard to quality and safety. The Taskforce pursues the coordination and enhancement of quality and safety in the private hospital sector as a key priority and works closely with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and its Private Hospital Sector Committee in this regard...
Workforce Taskforce Position Paper [PDF 198.8 kb]
Private hospitals are experiencing critical workforce shortages, unsustainable wage increases under Australia's Fair Work Award architecture, and a general increase in the costs of doing business. There is a crisis of viability. It is necessary to find and discuss opportunities to manage these challenges...

Research

From time to time the APHA will commission, undertake or source research to inform and guide its decisions and those of governments and other stakeholders across the country...

Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes and Health System Costs in Standard Public Maternity Care Compared to Private Obstetric-Led Care: A Population-Level Matched Cohort Study [PDF 397.5 kb]
Not only is having your baby safer in private hospitals with a continuum of care for mums and bubs, it's also cheaper. Extract from the Monash University study:
"In these 368,292 matched pregnancies/births over four years to December 2019, the standard public model had an extra:

  • 778 stillbirths or neonatal deaths (0.9 versus 0.4 per cent)
  • 2,301 neonatal intensive care admissions (3.5 versus 1.3 per cent)
  • 3,273 women with more severe vaginal tears (2.5 versus 0.7 per cent)
  • 10,627 women with postpartum haemorrhage or excessive bleeding (9.6 versus 3.8 per cent)
  • AU$5,929 cost per pregnancy (AU$28,645 versus AU$22,757) including costs to all payers when compared to the private obstetric-led model."
Published in the BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, July 2025.
Grattan Report: Mythbusters [PDF 301.3 kb]
The Grattan Report 'Saving private health 1: reining in hospital costs and specialist bills' makes some claims regarding private health care that do not stand up to scrutiny.
There are glaring inconsistencies between this repot and 'Saving private health 2: making private health insurance viable'. For example:
Myth: The report claims that the major driver for increase in benefit outlays is increases in hospital payments – accounting for almost two-thirds of the increase.
Busted: Private hospital payments account for almost two-thirds of total benefit outlays from hospital insurance, so they would be expected to account for two-thirds of the increase. In 'Saving private health 2: making private health insurance viable' the report states that "Ageing is the most important factor in premium growth"...
APHA Workforce Survey 2022 [PDF 349.2 kb]
In August of 2022, the APHA reported on its March survey of members, concerning their experience of workforce shortages, current and future nursing workforce requirements, skilled migration, nursing graduates and nursing student placements...