In this issue of the Journal, Ho and colleagues report their findings from a Perth community-based study of venous thromboembolism (VTE).1 They found an incidence of VTE, which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.69–0.97) per 1000 population per year. This figure is consistent with hospital discharge data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which predict an estimated 14 716 VTE cases in 20082 or an incidence of 0.74 per 1000. This incidence comes with high costs to Australian society in terms of deaths, morbidity and health care expenditure.