title: Casemix: challenges for nursing care.
abstract: An Australia-wide patient classification system for nursing is urgently needed as the health system attempts to develop benchmarks against which to measure and compare services. Standardised measures of demand for nursing care must be developed to allow appropriate reimbursement and to act as proxies for illness severity. Nurses need to identify the outcomes that measure the nursing contribution to episodes of care, and assist in developing outcome goals reflecting the efficacy of treatment and the quality of care. A system of measuring nursing requirements and costs of early discharge and coordinated care programs is required. It must be consistent with nursing classifications and hospital costing systems.
authors.affiliation: Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA. llong@cancer.rah.sa.gov.au
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index