Generally an elective surgery procedure is one performed in an operating theatre facility under some form of anaesthesia by a surgeon. A surgeon is a doctor who undertakes the treatment of injuries or disorders by performing surgery. It is booked following a medical assessment by a doctor or health professional who believes the surgery to be clinically necessary but it can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
Elective surgery is comprised of procedures listed in the surgical operations section of the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
Clinical Priority Categories
Categorisation of elective surgical patients is required to ensure care is received in a timely and clinically appropriate manner. Following a clinical assessment of the patient by the surgeon the clinical priority is determined.
| Clinical Urgency Category | Clinical Description | National standard - desirable treatment time | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
Category 1 - Urgent |
| Admission within 30 days | 100 per cent seen within the desirable time |
Category 2 - Semi urgent |
| Admission within 90 days | 80 per cent seen within desirable time |
Category 3 - Non-urgent
|
| Admission sometime in the future (within 365 days) | 90 per cent seen within desirable time |
Northern Territory Government Initiative
From April to August 2007 the Northern Territory Government supported an initiative to target elective surgery and the waiting list.
1463 or 91% of the 1612 patients who were overdue for their surgical procedure had been removed from the waiting list. 803 received operations and 660 were removed for other reasons including no longer requiring the surgery or moving interstate.
Operating lists are not static as patients are removed and others are added when they are assessed as requiring surgery. The project resulted in an overall reduction of 31% in the overdue list.
Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan (Commonwealth Blitz Funding)
On 14 January 2008 the Commonwealth and State / Territory Treasurers and Health Ministers agreed on the first steps in the joint four-year plan for elective surgery waiting lists. Governments agreed the aim of the plan is that by the end of four years the backlog of patients waiting longer than the clinically recommended time for elective surgery will be dramatically reduced across Australia. To achieve this the Australian Government allocated $600 million nationally.