Retrospective analysis of utilisation of the Australian Child Dental Benefit Scheme

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
Dina Eka Putri ◽  
Estie Kruger ◽  
Marc Tennant

Objective The Child Dental Benefit Scheme (CDBS), which provides dental services for targeted children in Australia, was implemented in 2014. Currently there is no information available on the cost and utilisation patterns of this publicly funded scheme. This study aimed to analyse the pattern of dental visits under the CDBS, as well as the cost of the CDBS over the first 2 years of operation. Methods This study was a retrospective descriptive analysis, using data from Medicare Statistics (an Australian Government website) from two calendar years (2014 and 2015). Results Nationally, the number of CDBS patients declined by 16.3% after the first year, and patients were predominantly aged 5–14 years. Preventive services were the most used service, and contributed to approximately 30% of total expenditure. Conclusion The utilisation of CDBS is considered to be low. What is known about the topic? Previous government dental schemes in Australia resulted in inequalities in utilisation of the scheme by targeted groups. The CDBS was implemented with an extension of eligibility criteria and services offered as a means to improve access to dental care. What does this paper add? There is no information available on the utilisation and cost patterns of the CDBS; hence, this study analysed the pattern of utilisation and the cost of the CDBS over the first 2 years of operation. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important that practitioners promote the scheme among those eligible to enable targeted populations access to the scheme and to ultimately improve child oral health.

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Hasan ◽  
Dedi Budiman Hakim ◽  
Irdika Mansur

This study aims to analyze causes of the low uptake of the budget and formulate a strategy of maximizing the absorption of expenditure on Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Manokwari. Respondents involved are 20 people that consist of: treasury officials and holder output of activity. The data used were secondary data in the form of reports on budget realization (LRA) quarter I, II, III and IV of the fiscal year 2011 to 2015, and the primary data were in the form of interviews with the help of a questionnaire. While the analysis of the data used was descriptive analysis using data tabulation, and the analysis of the three stages strategy of the decision making used IFE and EFE matrix, SWOT matrix and QSPM matrix.The results showed that there are 19 factors causing low of budget absorption until the end of the third quarter, and there were 10 drafts of policy as a strategy for maximizing the absorption of the budget on Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Manokwari.ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penyebab rendahnya penyerapan anggaran belanja dan merumuskan strategi maksimalisasi penyerapan anggaran belanja pada Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Manokwari. Responden yang terlibat adalah 20 orang yaitu pejabat perbendaharaan dan pemegang output kegiatan. Data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder berupa laporan realisasi anggaran (LRA) triwulan I, II, III dan IV tahun anggaran 2011 sampai 2015, dan data primer berupa wawancara dengan bantuan kuesioner. Sedangkan analisis data yang digunakan adalah analisis deskriptif menggunakan analisis tabulasi, dan analisis analisis strategi tiga tahap pengambilan keputusan menggunakan matriks IFE dan EFE, matriks SWOT dan matriks QSPM. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 19 faktor penyebab rendahnya penyerapan anggaran belanja sampai akhir triwulan III, dan terdapat 10 rancangan kebijakan sebagai strategi maksimalisasi penyerapan anggaran belanja di Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Manokwari.


Author(s):  
Beth M. Robertson

This article strives to answer the question of whether oral history can survive the funding crisis that rages archival institutions. The cost and complexity of managing archival collections in libraries and archives are increasing at unprecedented rates. Collecting institutions are expected to do more with less, a common experience for most publicly funded repositories since the 1980s. Institutions struggling with backlogs of physical collections are now responsible for electronic collections that grow exponentially and require new formats with astonishing frequency. Archives must provide online as well as on-site services to satisfy researchers, and those who allocate funding. In some ways, oral history is well adapted to survive in this tumultuous environment. Many archival institutions have been educating local practitioners since the 1970s about the standards required by their repositories. The pragmatism required for preservation strategies will be anathema to some curators, just as the underlying principles have been to some archivists in recent years.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5899
Author(s):  
Ewa Wrona ◽  
Maciej Borowiec ◽  
Piotr Potemski

CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T) cells have emerged as a milestone in the treatment of patients with refractory B-cell neoplasms. However, despite having unprecedented efficacy against hematological malignancies, the treatment is far from flawless. Its greatest drawbacks arise from a challenging and expensive production process, strict patient eligibility criteria and serious toxicity profile. One possible solution, supported by robust research, is the replacement of T lymphocytes with NK cells for CAR expression. NK cells seem to be an attractive vehicle for CAR expression as they can be derived from multiple sources and safely infused regardless of donor–patient matching, which greatly reduces the cost of the treatment. CAR-NK cells are known to be effective against hematological malignancies, and a growing number of preclinical findings indicate that they have activity against non-hematological neoplasms. Here, we present a thorough overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the use of CAR-NK cells in treating various solid tumors.


Games ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Ramzi Suleiman ◽  
Yuval Samid

Experiments using the public goods game have repeatedly shown that in cooperative social environments, punishment makes cooperation flourish, and withholding punishment makes cooperation collapse. In less cooperative social environments, where antisocial punishment has been detected, punishment was detrimental to cooperation. The success of punishment in enhancing cooperation was explained as deterrence of free riders by cooperative strong reciprocators, who were willing to pay the cost of punishing them, whereas in environments in which punishment diminished cooperation, antisocial punishment was explained as revenge by low cooperators against high cooperators suspected of punishing them in previous rounds. The present paper reconsiders the generality of both explanations. Using data from a public goods experiment with punishment, conducted by the authors on Israeli subjects (Study 1), and from a study published in Science using sixteen participant pools from cities around the world (Study 2), we found that: 1. The effect of punishment on the emergence of cooperation was mainly due to contributors increasing their cooperation, rather than from free riders being deterred. 2. Participants adhered to different contribution and punishment strategies. Some cooperated and did not punish (‘cooperators’); others cooperated and punished free riders (‘strong reciprocators’); a third subgroup punished upward and downward relative to their own contribution (‘norm-keepers’); and a small sub-group punished only cooperators (‘antisocial punishers’). 3. Clear societal differences emerged in the mix of the four participant types, with high-contributing pools characterized by higher ratios of ‘strong reciprocators’, and ‘cooperators’, and low-contributing pools characterized by a higher ratio of ‘norm keepers’. 4. The fraction of ‘strong reciprocators’ out of the total punishers emerged as a strong predictor of the groups’ level of cooperation and success in providing the public goods.


Author(s):  
Frederico Finan ◽  
Maurizio Mazzocco

Abstract Politicians allocate public resources in ways that maximize political gains, and potentially at the cost of lower welfare. In this paper, we quantify these welfare costs in the context of Brazil’s federal legislature, which grants its members a budget to fund public projects within their states. Using data from the state of Roraima, we estimate a model of politicians’ allocation decisions and find that 26.8% of the public funds allocated by legislators are distorted relative to a social planner’s allocation. We then use the model to simulate three potential policy reforms to the electoral system: the adoption of approval voting, imposing a one-term limit, and redistricting. We find that a one-term limit and redistricting are both effective at reducing distortions. The one-term limit policy, however, increases corruption, which makes it a welfare-reducing policy.


Revista CEFAC ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Hellen Teixeira Viégas ◽  
Tatiane Costa Meira ◽  
Brenda Sousa Santos ◽  
Yukari Figueroa Mise ◽  
Vladimir Andrei Rodrigues Arce ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: to investigate the evolution and estimate the shortage of Speech, Language and Hearing professionals in Primary Health Care between 2005 and 2015. Methods: a mixed ecological study using data from the National Registry of Health Facilities and the Primary Health Care Information System. A descriptive analysis regarding the evolution of the number of professionals working in Primary Health Care over this period, in Brazilian states and regions, was conducted. The ratio of professionals per 100,000 inhabitants for the years 2005, 2010 and 2015, and the shortages in 2015, were estimated. Results: in 2005, there were 1,717 professionals working in Primary Health Care, that is, one per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2015, there were 4,124, increasing to 2.1/100,000. In 2015, the shortage in supply was 55.1%, varying widely across the states. Conclusion: the shortage in supply is equivalent to an absence of Speech, Language and Hearing service coverage within Primary Health Care for more than half of the Brazilian population. It is worth noting that a conservative parameter was adopted to conduct this estimate. The results suggest a process of consolidation for the inclusion of Speech, Language and Hearing professionals within Primary Health Care, however, still characterized by insufficient and unequal supply across the nation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 689
Author(s):  
Stefan Strilciuc ◽  
Diana Alecsandra Grad ◽  
Vlad Mixich ◽  
Adina Stan ◽  
Anca Dana Buzoianu ◽  
...  

Background: Health policies in transitioning health systems are rarely informed by the economic burden of disease due to scanty access to data. This study aimed to estimate direct and indirect costs for first-ever acute ischemic stroke (AIS) during the first year for patients residing in Cluj, Romania, and hospitalized in 2019 at the County Emergency Hospital (CEH). Methods: The study was conducted using a mixed, retrospective costing methodology from a societal perspective to measure the cost of first-ever AIS in the first year after onset. Patient pathways for AIS were reconstructed to aid in mapping inpatient and outpatient cost items. We used anonymized administrative and clinical data at the hospital level and publicly available databases. Results: The average cost per patient in the first year after stroke onset was RON 25,297.83 (EUR 5226.82), out of which 80.87% were direct costs. The total cost in Cluj, Romania in 2019 was RON 17,455,502.7 (EUR 3,606,505.8). Conclusions: Our costing exercise uncovered shortcomings of stroke management in Romania, particularly related to acute care and neurorehabilitation service provision. Romania spends significantly less on healthcare than other countries (5.5% of GDP vs. 9.8% European Union average), exposing stroke survivors to a disproportionately high risk for preventable and treatable post-stroke disability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 716-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marije Oosterhoff ◽  
Hans Bosma ◽  
Onno C.P. van Schayck ◽  
Manuela A. Joore

Abstract A uniform approach for costing school-based lifestyle interventions is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to develop a template for costing primary school-based lifestyle interventions and apply this to the costing of the “Healthy Primary School of the Future” (HPSF) and the “Physical Activity School” (PAS), which aim to improve physical activity and dietary behaviors. Cost-effectiveness studies were reviewed to identify the cost items. Societal costs were reflected by summing up the education, household and leisure, labor and social security, and health perspectives. Cost inputs for HPSF and PAS were obtained for the first year after implementation. In a scenario analysis, the costs were explored for a hypothetical steady state. From a societal perspective, the per child costs were €2.7/$3.3 (HPSF) and €− 0.3/$− 0.4 (PAS) per day during the first year after implementation, and €1.0/$1.2 and €− 1.3/$− 1.6 in a steady state, respectively (2016 prices). The highest costs were incurred by the education perspective (first year: €8.7/$10.6 (HPSF) and €4.0/$4.9 (PAS); steady state: €6.1/$7.4 (HPSF) and €2.1/$2.6 (PAS)), whereas most of the cost offsets were received by the household and leisure perspective (first year: €− 6.0/$− 7.3 (HPSF) and €− 4.4/$− 5.4 (PAS); steady state: €− 5.0/$− 6.1 (HPSF) and €− 3.4/$− 4.1 (PAS)). The template proved helpful for costing HPSF and PAS from various stakeholder perspectives. The costs for the education sector were fully (PAS) and almost fully (HPSF) compensated by the savings within the household sector. Whether the additional costs of HPSF over PAS represent value for money will depend on their relative effectiveness.


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