Consumer engagement to maximise the impact of public reporting of hospital performance data in Australiapuper

Abstract

Background: Public performance reporting (PPR) of hospitals has been proposed as a mechanism for improving quality of care by providing transparency and accountability, increasing hospital quality and safety and informing consumer choice. In Australia, national mandatory PPR for public hospitals, including measures of cancer waiting times, was introduced in 2011. All public hospitals are now required to provide data to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare which is then reported on the MyHospitals website  Public performance reporting is not mandatory for private hospitals, although some participate on a voluntary basis.Prior research indicates that PPR has limited impact on consume..