Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon today announced the appointment of the inaugural chairs of health reform bodies to drive transparency, accountability and efficiency.
Council of Australian Governments' have agreed to the appointment of the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the National Health Performance Authority (NHPA) and the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA).
Ms Patricia Faulkner AO and Mr John Walsh will be the Chair and Deputy Chair of the NHPA after the legislation passes the Parliament.
Patricia and John both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and a commitment to improving the transparency and accountability of the health system.
Under their guidance, the NHPA will ensure that all Australians will be able to see how their public and private hospitals and Medicare Locals are performing.
Mr Shane Solomon and Mr Jim Birch will be the Chair and Deputy Chair of the IHPA.
Shane and Jim have a very deep and thorough understanding of health financing and are ideally placed to lead the transformation of Australia's public hospital system.
Their work leading the IHPA will ensure that every public hospital is properly funded for each and every service they provide.
There will be an interim IHPA established as per the national health reform agreement, prior to the establishment of a permanent statutory body.
The Prime Minister said today's appointments were the next step in the implementation of the National Health Reform Agreement.
This historic agreement will deliver the funding public hospitals need, with unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability, less waste and significantly less waiting for patients.
Further details on each of the appointments are available in the COAG communiqué.