The Health News Australia August 5 2017

Overview

• The innovative myOwn is a first-of-its-kind product in the Australian insurance market, offering customers a health insurance policy bundled with the AIA Vitality health and wellness program. The brand is the product of an alliance between the life insurance company AIA Australia and health fund GMHBA.
• Australia’s first standalone heart hospital could cost almost double the original estimate, but the Victorian Government denies it has bungled the project and says the facility could be bigger and better than first planned. The Victorian Government argues the standalone model is best practice.
• A national report on the spread of antimicrobial resistance has highlighted specific types of bacteria as major emerging problems for Australian hospitals. A bacteria that commonly causes infection among vulnerable surgical and cancer patients is becoming a growing problem for Australian hospitals.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 5th of August 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News

https://www.finder.com.au/australia-gets-its-first-life-and-health-insurance-brand

myOwn is a first-of-its-kind product in the Australian insurance market, offering customers a health insurance policy bundled with the AIA Vitality health and wellness program. The brand is the product of an alliance between the life insurance company AIA Australia and health fund GMHBA. The innovative myOwn brand will actively reward members who stay healthy by participating in the AIA Vitality program. Damien Mu, CEO of AIA Australia and New Zealand said that with myOwn offering health insurance with AIA Vitality, we support people to know their health, improve their health and enjoy the rewards.

The best part is that these rewards are more than just a sense of feeling good. Those who take out health insurance with myOwn can get an upfront five percent discount on their premiums by gaining AIA Vitality Silver status.The benefits don’t stop there. Members can earn themselves Woolworths vouchers and Hoyts cinema tickets, get discounts on flights and cash back from some of Australia’s biggest gyms.

Earning rewards with AIA Vitality is relatively straightforward. All members need to do is participate in approved activities that are beneficial for their health, such as eating well, preventive screenings and physical activities.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-04/victorian-heart-hospital-costs-increase/8773604

Australia’s first standalone heart hospital could cost almost double the original estimate, but the Victorian Government denies it has messed up the project and says the facility could be bigger and better than first planned.The Government previously predicted the Victorian Heart Hospital in Clayton, in Melbourne’s south-east, would cost three hundred fifty million dollars, but newly released tender documents say “the likely total expected investment is four hundred fifty to six hundred million”. Health Minister Jill Hennessy said it was a “project of national significance” and ultimately the scope of the hospital would determine the cost.

She also said that goes to the size of the hospital, the activity, the level of medical research, the level of clinical education in it.” The Government is considering including more clinical education and medical engineering facilities in the hospital, which was promised during the two thousand fourteen Victorian election campaign. Premier Daniel Andrews told ABC Central Victoria the cost would depend on the hospital’s size, but it would not be more than six hundred million dollars.

The Victorian Government argues the standalone model is best practice.

When built, the hospital will have capacity for two thousand cardiac surgery operations and twenty eight thousand cardiac emergency department presentations.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/08/03/new-infection-challenge-australian-hospitals

A national report on the spread of antimicrobial resistance has highlighted specific types of bacteria as major emerging problems for Australian hospitals. A bacteria that commonly causes infection among vulnerable surgical and cancer patients is becoming a growing problem for Australian hospitals, a report on antibiotic resistance has uncovered.The Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia two thousand seventeen report, released by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care on Thursday, found more than half or fifty six percent of enterococci samples taken from hospitals were resistant to last-line antibiotic Vancomycin.

According to the report authors, the level of resistance is higher than in any European country.

Enterococci are bacteria normally found in a person’s gut or bowel and the female genitourinary tract. Commission Senior Medical Advisor Professor John Turnidge warned that there is only one or two antibiotics left with which we can safely treat the infection and while this bacteria is unlikely to kill a patient, it does place a significant burden on the health system.

The professor said antimicrobial resistance is “one of the most significant challenges” for the delivery of safe, high-quality health services, and has a direct impact on patient care.