Probe ordered as 11 Victorian hospitals under-report waiting lists

EXCLUSIVE: AN UNPRECEDENTED investigation has been ordered into Victoria’s major public hospitals amid fears of deliberate manipulation of waiting lists to boost performance records.

Eleven Victorian hospitals have failed to record 943 plastic and reconstructive surgery patients on their official elective surgery waiting lists. Generic picture

AN unprecedented investigation has been ordered into Victoria’s major public hospitals amid fears of deliberate manipulation of waiting lists to boost performance records.

The Herald Sun can reveal that 11 hospitals have failed to record 943 plastic and reconstructive surgery patients on their official elective surgery waiting lists.

The State Government has blamed the cases uncovered so far on an “administrative bungle” by the hospitals, but has ordered an independent audit of all Victorian health services to uncover any evidence of deliberate data manipulation.

If evidence of intentional action is found, the government has vowed to refer the matter to authorities including Victoria Police and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

The majority of the cases uncovered so far have been confined to four hospitals — Monash Health, Peninsula Health, Eastern Health and Austin Health.

Monash Health is one of the four hospitals where the majority of cases have been uncovered. Picture: Sarah Matray

But they have been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing, avoiding penalties. Seven other hospitals have also been implicated.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy moved on Thursday to close a loophole allowing hospitals to incorrectly code patients having cosmetic-type procedures in a way that meant they did not appear on a publicly reported waiting list.

“What has occurred is inexcusable, and I extend my deepest apologies to all those affected,” Ms Hennessy said.

“Like all Victorians, I expect that patients waiting for surgery are assessed and wait-listed according to clinical need,” Ms Hennessy said.

“We’ve taken immediate action to fix this situation and make sure affected patients get the clinical attention, surgery and care they need.”

Health Minister Jill Hennessy. Picture: David Caird

The hidden patients came to light when Monash Health identified non-urgent elective breast and abdominal procedures that had been inappropriately coded and so not counted on waiting lists.

This prompted the government to examine other health services doing the procedures.

The review found the “anomaly” occurred because hospitals failed to follow a 2011 directive to include these patients on public waiting lists.

All 943 hidden patients will be offered an appointment in the next three months and added to public waiting lists if surgery is deemed appropriate.

Austin Health said yesterday: “Austin Health is confident it has been coding these patients correctly and in line with … elective surgery guidelines. If there are any changes to these … Austin Health will change its practice.”

Monash Health confirmed it had raised matters about its waiting list with the department and was “taking steps to address the cause of this issue”.

Eastern Health executive clinical director of surgery Sayed Hassen, who said his hospital had registered a record number of operations last year, said it was also reviewing its waiting list.

Frankston Hospital chief operating officer Brendon Gardner said: “There appears to be some confusion regarding a policy change for non-urgent elective surgery patients. We are investigating.”

Ms Hennessy blamed the former Coalition government for slashing funding needed to enforce and resource the 2011 policy change, which had created confusion over coding of medical procedures.

Opposition Health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said: “This is not the first time Daniel Andrews and Labor have overseen dodgy hospital stats.

“Victorians would be rightly concerned about what happens to our health system when Labor takes over.”

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