Grattan Institute

How to improve Australians' access to specialist care

Grattan Institute

Show Notes

No one looks forward to seeing a specialist—whether it’s a cardiologist, paediatrician, or psychiatrist. A referral often signals your GP is concerned about a serious health problem: a suspicious lump, a complex condition, or a health issue that needs specialised attention.

For many Australians, it can be a worrying time. And those worries only get worse when faced with high specialist fees and long wait times.

In this episode, Senior Associate Elizabeth Baldwin is joined by co-authors Peter Breadon and Dominic Jones to unpack the findings of Grattan Institute’s latest report, Special treatment: Improving Australians' access to specialist care. Together, they explore why specialist care is so hard to access—and what can be done to fix it.

Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/special-treatment-improving-australians-access-to-specialist-care/

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