Tasmanians are set to benefit from an improved Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (PTAS) after the Tasmanian Liberal Government accepted all 35 recommendations from an independent review.
PTAS provides important financial assistance to eligible Tasmanian residents who are required to travel to access specialised medical services.
This ranges from people living in rural and regional areas who need to travel to hospitals in metro areas as well as to Tasmanians who need to travel interstate to receive specialist care.
Following the review, concession card holders will travel for free.
Other key recommendations to be implemented include: increased travel and accommodation subsidy rates and indexation of rates every three years; reduced upfront costs by PTAS arranging bookings and travel; and improvements to the PTAS application process to make it simpler for Tasmanians.
Recognising the unique health care access needs of very remote island communities, the eligibility criteria for residents of King Island and Furneaux Group islands will also be expanded.
Further recommendations accepted by the review include:
These improvements will ensure patients living in remote and regional areas have access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The independent review was commissioned in 2021 by the Tasmanian Government from KP Health to ensure the scheme is meeting the needs of Tasmanians, with a particular focus on improving access and strengthening the patient-centred approach.
It also looked at how to improve transparency, approval processes, customer service and cost-effectiveness.
The review process included extensive statewide consultation with members of the public, organisational stakeholders and private sector providers, as well as an environmental scan of interstate patient travel assistance schemes to see how the Tasmanian service compared.
Notably the review also found that the financial support offered by PTAS is equal to, and in some instances, more generous than other jurisdictions across Australia.
The Tasmanian Government acknowledges and thanks everyone that contributed to the KP Health review.
The Department of Health will now engage with members of the public, healthcare providers and private sector providers to progress implementation of the accepted recommendations across 2022-23.
To read the PTAS review and find out more about the scheme, visit: https://www.health.tas.gov.au/patients/support-services-your-visit-hospital/travel-support-ptas