Government plans for public reporting of performance data in health care: the case for

Medical academics Christine Jorm and Michael Frommer believe it is simply the right thing to do

For vast amounts of performance data are collected in the Australian health system, many of which are released by agencies such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, state and territory health departments and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, merely releasing performance data is different from publicly reporting such data. Public reporting incorporates interpretation and comparisons that make the data meaningful for the community.