Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy

*Short course*: MUCHE is running a one-day introduction course to health economic evaluation. This course will introduce attendees to key concepts used in the economic evaluation of health care interventions and programs, and how this information can inform policy decisions. Who should attend? Policy makers, clinicians and other health care workers, managers and researchers from the public, private and academic sectors with little to no experience in economic evaluation. Date and location: Fri, 21 Feb 2025, 9am - 5pm AEDT (Macquarie University city campus). Register and purchase tickets here: https://lnkd.in/gJG-8eh7 Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI Macquarie Business School

Congratulations to MUCHE CI A/Prof Bonny Parkinson who, with 4DMedical and I-MED Radiology Network, has been awarded a $1.9 million grant to explore a new scan that makes testing for pulmonary embolism safer and more accessible for patients. The new functional lung scan (CT VQ), developed by 4DMedical Limited, will be compared with existing CT contrast agent scans and nuclear medicine scans in partnership with I-MED Radiology Network Limited, while the MUCHE team, led by Associate Professor Bonny Parkinson, will perform the health economic assessments. “Our research will provide the evidence needed regarding health outcomes and costs to help funders decide whether to invest in CT VQ throughout the healthcare system,” notes CI Associate Professor Parkinson. Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Macquarie University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, says: “MUCHE plays a vital role analysing the impact of health services, which has a tangible effect on Australian health policy and the wider community. This project is a wonderful example of how the collaboration between science, research and business can deliver life-changing results.” Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI Macquarie Business School https://lnkd.in/gsYNZGke

Last week, MUCHE hosted a six-member delegation from the Shanghai Healthcare Security Administration, which plays a crucial role in regulating healthcare services, ensuring the financial sustainability of the medical insurance system, and improving healthcare access in Shanghai. Associate Professors Bonny Parkinson, Jonas Fooken, and Yuanyuan Gu, along with our PhD student Shan Jiang, attended the meeting. We discussed the Australian healthcare system, shared insights into our research, and explored potential collaborations with the delegation. Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI

There are both patient and provider-level barriers to providing care and support to older Australians in the community living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) -- an intermediate stage between normal ageing and early dementia. With increasing numbers of older people living with this condition, more research focus is needed on how healthcare services and the community can better support these individuals (who are at an increased risk of progressing to dementia than the general population), and their quality of life. We put forward some recommendations, in light our recently-published research in SSM-Population Health, that found people with MCI were less likely than those with normal cognition to interact with medical care. Read more on barriers to MCI care in this piece in Croakey Health Media, authored by myself with Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty and Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev, Co-directors of the UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI Macquarie Business School Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy

Thank you to Professor Anthony Scott for visiting MUCHE and for an insightful seminar yesterday on the responses of doctors to a fall in the demand for voluntary private health insurance!! Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI #privatehealthinsurance

*MUCHE External Seminar TOMORROW* [Tuesday 15 October 11am-12pm]. Join us for a fascinating seminar tomorrow by Professor Anthony Scott (Centre for Health Economics - Monash Business School). Professor Scott will be talking about the responses of doctors to a fall in demand for voluntary private health insurance. Face-to-face. Venue: 75 Talavera Road, 3137 (Continuum Room). Australian Institute of Health Innovation AIHI

Why subtle changes in memory and thinking should not be dismissed >> https://lnkd.in/gTHMjQbD Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a brain condition that causes changes to memory that differ from normal age-related decline. Doctors use tests that measure cognitive abilities in areas such as memory, language and attention to diagnose MCI. They also consider complaints of cognitive or memory issues from the individual or their family. Importantly, people with MCI can still manage their daily activities without significant difficulties. Providing medical care for people with MCI may improve their quality of life and prevent more costly health care in the future. But researchers at the Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE) and the University of NSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) say many older Australians may miss out on medical care to help them manage their condition because MCI has not been diagnosed. Dr Anam Bilgrami, Senior Research Fellow at MUCHE, says it is important not to ignore symptoms of MCI given it is linked with an increased risk of developing dementia.

New role - Implementation Scientist We are seeking a full-time Implementation Scientist (Postdoctoral Researcher (Level A) or Research Fellow (Level B) ) to be part of a team that brings together healthcare consumers, clinicians, health and medical researchers to improve children’s healthcare. You’ll be working with Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite on the National Paediatric Research Translation Initiative (N-PARTI) - an Australia-wide group of researchers, clinicians, and consumers improving the health of Australian children. If you’d like to find out more, please follow this link. #paediatric #implementationscience #healthcare #patientsafety https://lnkd.in/gFcj3_nu

New role – Mixed-Methods Researcher We are seeking a full-time Mixed-Methods Researcher (Postdoctoral Researcher (Level A) or Research Fellow (Level B)) to be part of a team that brings together healthcare consumers, clinicians, health and medical researchers to improve children’s healthcare. You’ll be working with Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite on the National Paediatric Research Translation Initiative (N-PARTI) - an Australia-wide group of researchers, clinicians, and consumers improving the health of Australian children. If you’d like to find out more, please follow this link.  #paediatric #healthcare #patientsafety https://lnkd.in/gAHdHfxe

Out now - strategies and tactics to reduce the impact of healthcare on climate change Our latest review on decarbonising health systems is out now. We analysed 205 studies and research papers to compile a comprehensive set of strategies for achieving net zero emissions. With healthcare responsible for 4.4% of global carbon emissions, and this research delivering a practical framework for decarbonisation, this could be our most critical paper of the year. We cover strategies from changing clinical and surgical practices; to using policies such as benchmarking and reporting at a facility level, and financial levers to reduce emissions from procurement; to changing organisational culture through workforce training; and involving patients in care planning. But what did we find was missing from these global strategies? Read to find out. Research was led by Jeffrey Braithwaite with Enrico Coiera, Johanna Westbrook, Yvonne Zurynski, K-lynn Smith Shalini Wijekulasuriya Kalissa Brooke-Cowden Georgia Fisher Romika Patel Lisa Pagano Hania Rahimi-Ardabili Samantha Spanos, PhD Christina Rojas Andrew Partington Genevieve Dammery Ann Carrigan Lauren Ehrenfeld https://lnkd.in/gbBabfgi