FOI 26-3323 – Documents concerning the development of a proposal for a private hospital national efficient price

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 23 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The release (FOI 26-3323) covers departmental documents on developing a Private National Efficient Price (PNEP) for private hospital services. It includes a May 2025 information brief to Minister Butler updating on the Private Health CEO Forum and policy implementation, with short-term and medium-term reform options, including engagement of James Downie to define a private price, with a framework due 30 August 2025. It also includes September 2025 emails on the CEO Forum meeting pack, and the draft Pricing Framework for Australian Private Hospital Services. The draft proposes a nationally consistent, activity-based price informed by ABF principles, with an indicative PNEP by July 2026, a comprehensive price by July 2027, and replacement of default benefits by July 2028. Other topics include the prescribed list of medical devices, quality and safety adjustments (sentinel events, hospital-acquired complications, unplanned readmissions), and data reporting burden. A October 2025 email confirms the draft could be circulated to peaks, with the draft marking retained.