Hospital services (COFOG-A 073)

A1C.145.

Hospital services (COFOG-A 073) consists of government expenditure on hospital services. Hospitalisation is defined as occurring when a patient is accommodated in a hospital for the duration of the treatment. Hospital day-care and home based hospital treatment is included, as are hospices for terminally ill persons. This category covers the services of general and specialist hospitals, the services of medical centres, maternity centres, nursing homes and convalescent homes which chiefly provide in-patient services, the services of military base hospitals, the services of institutions serving old people in which medical monitoring is an essential component and the services of rehabilitation centres providing in-patient health care and rehabilitative therapy where the objective is to treat the patient rather than to provide long-term support. Hospitals are defined as institutions which offer in-patient care under direct supervision of qualified medical doctors. Medical centres, maternity centres, nursing homes and convalescent homes also provide in-patient care but their services are supervised and frequently delivered by staff of lower qualification than medical doctors. This category does not cover facilities such as military field hospitals (classified to military defence (COFOG-A 0211)), surgeries, clinics and dispensaries devoted exclusively to outpatient care (classified to outpatient services (COFOG-A 072)), institutions for disabled persons and rehabilitation centres providing primarily long-term support (classified to disability (COFOG-A 1002)), retirement homes for elderly persons (classified to old age (COFOG-A 1011)). Neither does it cover payments to patients for loss of income due to hospitalisation (classified to sickness (COFOG-A 1001)). Hospital services include medicaments, prostheses, medical appliances and equipment and other health related products supplied to hospital patients. It also includes non-medical expenditure of hospitals on administration, non-medical staff, food and drink, accommodation (including staff accommodation), etc.

A1C.146.

Hospital services (COFOG-A 073) is further classified into:

• general hospital services (COFOG-A 0731);
• specialised hospital services (COFOG-A 0732);
• medical and maternity centre services (COFOG-A 0733); and
• nursing and convalescent home services (COFOG-A 0734).

A1C.147.

General hospital services (COFOG-A 0731) consists of:

• the provision of general hospital services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of hospitals that do not limit their services to a particular specialty.

Includes: Designated psychiatric or psycho-geriatric units within hospitals; care of 'nursing-home type patients' (defined by the Health Insurance Act 1973 as patients in a hospital who have been provided with accommodation and nursing care, as an end in itself, for a continuous period exceeding 35 days) in hospitals; free standing clinics; alcohol and drug treatment centres.

Excludes: Medical centres not under the direct supervision of a qualified medical doctor (classified to medical and maternity centre services (COFOG-A 0733)); health research (classified to research and development - health (COFOG-A 0771)); admitted patients in specialised psychiatric hospitals (classified to mental health institutions (COFOG-A 0741)).

A1C.148.

Specialised hospital services (COFOG-A 0732) covers services provided by specialised hospitals. Specialised hospitals differ from general hospitals in that their services are limited to treatment of a particular condition, disease or class of patient, for example, diseases of the chest and tuberculosis, leprosy, cancer, otorhinolaryngology, psychiatry, obstetrics, paediatrics, dental and so forth. This category consists of:

• the provision of specialised hospital services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of hospitals that limit their services to a particular medical specialty.

Excludes: Medical centres not under the direct supervision of a qualified medical doctor (classified to medical and maternity centre services (COFOG-A 0733)); health research (classified to research and development - health (COFOG-A 0771)); admitted patients in specialised psychiatric hospitals (classified to mental health institutions (COFOG-A 0741)).

A1C.149.

Medical and maternity centre services (COFOG-A 0733) consists of:

• the provision of medical and maternity centre services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of medical and maternity centre services.

Includes: Medical centres not under the direct supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

A1C.150.

Nursing and convalescent home services (COFOG-A 0734) covers services provided by nursing and convalescent homes. Nursing and convalescent homes provide in-patient services to persons recovering from surgery or a debilitating disease or condition that requires chiefly monitoring and administering of medicaments, physiotherapy and training to compensate for loss of function or rest. Some young disabled people may be cared for by nursing homes but the focus of the nursing home is long-term care involving regular basic nursing care for older people. This category consists of:

• the provision of nursing and convalescent home services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of nursing and convalescent home services.

Includes: Institutions serving old people in which medical monitoring is an essential component; rehabilitation centres providing in-patient health care and rehabilitative therapy where the objective is to treat the patient rather than to provide long-term support; nursing homes that are located within hospitals; state and territory owned and operated residential aged care facilities predominantly for high care needs; medicaments, prostheses, medical products, appliances and equipment supplied to patients.

Excludes: Aged care hostels (classified to old age (COFOG-A 1011)); residential institutions for disabled people (classified to disability (COFOG-A 1002)); psycho-geriatric nursing homes (classified to mental health institutions (COFOG-A 0741)); programs and services related to the provision of residential aged care (classified to old age (COFOG-A 1011)).