The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges is the peak body for specialist medicine in Australia. We educate and train Australia’s future doctors to provide the highest quality medical care. Our vision is to improve, protect and promote the health of the Australian public.

CPMC welcomes the release of Australia’s Third Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation today by Health Minister Greg Hunt. Produced by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (The Commission), the Atlas examines differences in health care use according to where people live within Australia.

Dr Philip Truskett AM, Chair of the Council said ‘The Atlas of Healthcare variation series is an invaluable tool for better understanding how our healthcare system provides care by mapping use of healthcare to where people live. This is the third Atlas which identifies areas for improvement.”

The Commission has worked closely with clinical and academic experts to interpret data, describe the variations and suggest ways in which to address them. This third Atlas focusses on four clinical areas- paediatrics and neonatal health, cardiac tests, thyroid investigations and treatments and gastrointestinal investigations and treatments.

Dr Truskett said “Specialist Medical Colleges share the Commission’s aim of getting the best outcomes for patients and reducing harm. While small variations relate to the responsiveness of health services, wide variations may mean people are missing out on care they need. CPMC supports action to improve access to appropriate care and treatment.”

CPMC supports the recommendation to make the best possible use of current data systems to explore and understand patterns of care. Dr Truskett said a key objective of CPMC is the sharing of information to promote high quality medical care and College Presidents will examine the Commission’s online risk module and provide feedback on ways it can be improved in future versions.

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Media Contacts: Ms Angela Magarry 0437227422

CPMC is the peak body representing the interests of specialist medicine in Australia.