Medibank has been instrumental in the development of a new project, which will ensure Victorian Hospitals will be better equipped to measure the quality of care for their cardiac patients.
The Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry (VCOR), officially launched by The Victorian Minister of Health, David Davis this morning, represents an unprecedented collaboration of all Victorian public hospitals and most private hospitals offering coronary angioplasty services.
Coordinated by Monash University and the Victorian Cardiac Clinical Network, the new registry collects information on every patient undergoing an angioplasty procedure. The technique, which utilises balloons and stents, has become the most common method for unblocking coronary arteries and is performed on more than 8,000 Victorians each year.
Mr Davis joined Monash University’s Head of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Professor John McNeil and Medibank’s Executive General Manger of Provider Networks and Integrated Care, Dr Andrew Wilson, officially releasing VCOR’s inaugural Annual Report at the launch held at The Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct.
Professor McNeil said the centralised, state-wide registry would help ensure that cardiac patients receive the highest quality of care.
“Successful treatment of cardiovascular disease requires a combination of medical expertise and an organised and functional health care system,” he said.
“As the database develops over time, it will provide a crucial opportunity for health care providers to benchmark their performance against services both nationally and internationally. Ultimately, we expect this to result in more consistent, best practice cardiac care across the Victorian health sector,” said Professor McNeil.
As the number one cause of death and disability in Australia, cardiovascular disease represents an ongoing challenge for Victoria’s healthcare system.
Since its inception in January 2013, VCOR has recruited 23 of the 29 Victorian public and private hospitals to the project. The registry includes a record of the number of procedures performed, clinical profiles of patients, any complications that develop and the outcomes of these procedures.
The ultimate aim of the project, co-funded by Medibank and the Victorian Department of Health, is to ensure that the highest quality of care is delivered to all cardiac patients throughout the state.
Dr Wilson said Medibank was pleased to support the establishment of the register.
“Medibank is committed to improving quality outcomes for patients, and are proud to be involved in VCOR which will play a major role in establishing best patient outcomes and best practices in addressing the burden of cardiovascular disease in Victoria,” Dr Wilson said.
“Providing seed funding for Victoria's first clinical quality registry, will improve the safety and quality of cardiovascular healthcare and leave a legacy for cardiovascular health in Victoria.
“As Medibank continues to strive to achieve quality outcomes for our members we will be investing in other worthwhile initiatives such as VCOR, through our new $750,000 Medibank Health Research Fund.”
