Since launching nationally in 2020, the program has supported 3387 clients, of those one in five have been Bupa customers, to safely withdraw from alcohol and begin structured recovery support at home. Thousands of clients are currently engaged in active treatment, reflecting growing demand for accessible, telehealth-delivered care.

Of those who have gone through the program, more than 60% are female and 39% are male. Those aged between 35 and 54 make up the majority needing help (almost 55%) followed by 55+ (almost 27%).

The program includes daily telehealth calls with a specialist nurse during the detox period, 12 months of follow-up support, access to a personalised recovery plan and peer support group, and regular communication with the client’s GP to ensure continuity of care.

Traditionally, people seeking help for alcohol dependence are required to be admitted to a hospital or inpatient facility for several days or weeks.

It comes as new data in the annual Bupa Pulse Check also reveals Aussies are cutting back on alcohol with 45% reducing alcohol consumption and 16% saying they would like to cut back on drinking alcohol, indicating a positive trend towards healthier habits.

Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director Kate Williams said the collaboration showed how healthcare could be delivered beyond traditional settings and help improve access to vital support.

“Through our partnership with Clean Slate Clinic, we are helping make treatment easier to access at home, with support from clinical care and telehealth. It is about removing barriers and making sure people can get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

Clean Slate Clinic’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Chris Davis said: “We’re seeing a clear cultural shift. More Australians are reflecting on their relationship with alcohol and actively looking to cut back. The challenge is ensuring that when someone decides they’re ready for support - safe and clinically appropriate care is accessible without delay.

“Our partnership with Bupa plays an important role in reducing these financial and structural barriers, helping more Australians to access medically supervised treatment at home.”

Before starting the program, participants undergo a telehealth assessment with a Clean Slate Clinic nurse to ensure clinical suitability. With the client’s consent, Clean Slate Clinic will also liaise with their regular GP to coordinate ongoing support.

The 12-month program includes psychological and physical preparation for detox success, prescribed medications and vitamins (if needed) to manage withdrawal, a personalised post-detox recovery plan with relapse prevention strategies, scheduled follow-up calls with their dedicated nurse for ongoing guidance.

Mr Stone said Dr Woods’ appointment followed an extensive internal and external process and demonstrated the importance clinical leadership as part of Bupa’s strategy to be the most customer-centred healthcare company.

“We’re thrilled to have someone of Nic’s calibre and experience join Bupa at such a transformational time for the health sector, bringing both deep clinical expertise and business leadership to our Executive Team,” Mr Stone said.

Nic joins Bupa from Calvary Care most recently as National Director of Digital Health & Technology (Chief Digital Officer) where he led the technology team across all Calvary Care services, and he was part of the Executive Leadership Team.  Following more than 20 years in clinical medicine and digital health, Nic continues to champion digital health to improve access, affordability, and better patient outcomes.

“Nic is a known and dedicated leader in the clinical community. He’s passionate about improving community health and clinical outcomes and embracing new technologies and medical advancements to meet the future needs of patients.

“As CHO, Nic will be responsible for clinical oversight across our APAC business working closely with our clinical leaders and our hospital partners to drive better health outcomes for our customers,” Mr Stone added.

Nic’s career includes time as Chief Medical Officer with Microsoft, an executive role at Cerner, and years of clinical practice in Emergency Departments, Urgent Care Clinics and General Practice, across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Bupa Asia Pacific CEO, Nick Stone said: “GPs are the backbone of our health system and it’s vital that Australians are able to access healthcare whenever and wherever they need it.

“We welcome initiatives that help ease cost of living pressures and provide timely and convenient access to healthcare, which we know can be real barriers for all Australians,” Mr Stone said.

“Being able to access doctors via telehealth at any time of the day helps take some pressure off busy hospital emergency departments while promoting preventative healthcare. We also know that general practice is under pressure in Australia and additional opportunities that increase flexibility for doctors are a key way to attract and retain GPs.”

Mr Stone said Bupa had already boosted its telehealth services with three 24/7 telehealth consults per policy for eligible health insurance customers as part of its digital health platform, Blua.

To date, 69% of Blua telehealth appointments have been resolved during initial consultations, with just 2% or less directed to emergency departments. Currently, more than 90% of all Blua consultations are carried out via video which enhances the quality and safety of interactions.

Mr Stone said: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has quickly become an established part of Australia’s health care system, making better use of practitioners’ and patients’ time.

“Usage patterns indicate Blua Online Doctors is increasing access to primary care out-of-hours and at times when patients might otherwise visit their local emergency department instead,” Mr Stone added.

For more information about Blua please click here.

Chris will move to London to take up the role in January 2025, reporting to Carlos Jaureguizar, CEO for Bupa Global, India & UK. Kate Williams, currently Director, Domestic Retail Portfolio, Health Insurance will be appointed to the role of Acting Managing Director, Health Insurance in Australia.

APAC Chief Executive Officer, Nick Stone, said: “This is a great example of leveraging our leadership pipeline globally and rewarding key talent with strong career growth opportunities within Bupa.

“Chris will bring his extensive experience in Australia’s mature private health market to lead the ambitious transformation plans for Bupa UK Insurance,” Mr Stone said.

“While the team in Australia will greatly miss Chris, we all wish him well in his new role at Bupa UK. I want to personally thank him for his strong leadership and relentless focus on our customers, people, and our hospital partners, during a particularly transformational time in Australian healthcare.”

Under his leadership, Bupa’s Health Insurance footprint in Australia has grown to more than 4.4 million customers and following seven consecutive quarters of growth, now has a market share of more than 25% in Australia’s highly competitive market. Chris has worked to revolutionise the customer experience with a strong focus on creating value for customers, delivering new products, and working together with Bupa’s Australian dental business to provide increased value to health insurance members.

Chris joined Bupa in November 2020 as Director, Domestic Retail Portfolio, Health Insurance, before being appointed to the role of Bupa Managing Director, Health Insurance, Australia in March 2022. He has more than 25 years’ commercial experience including most recently as CEO of WS Audiology Asia Pacific. He also held senior roles in media and telecommunication industries in Australia and Europe.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Business from Edith Cowan University. He also completed post graduate studies in Executive Finance from INSEAD Business School and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

“I’m delighted Kate has agreed to step into the role of Acting Managing Director, Health Insurance. She’s a passionate customer advocate who knows our Health Insurance business extremely well. This makes her well-placed to continue delivering for our customers and partners,” Mr Stone said. 

Kate has been with Bupa for more than three years, starting as General Manager, Customer Strategy and Go-to-Market, before becoming Director, Domestic Retail Portfolio, in March 2022. In this role Kate has been responsible for delivering products and services for Bupa’s retail customers in Australia and has a deep knowledge in customer, product, growth, and transformation.

An internal and external executive search process is now underway for the permanent Managing Director Health Insurance role.

We are only halfway through 2024, and already too many women have lost their lives under horrific circumstances. The alarming rise in women dying due to gender-based violence has prompted our government to declare it has reached crisis point.

To ensure no more women needlessly lose their lives, we all have a responsibility to be active participants in the national movement to end violence against women. Because of this, Bupa is proud to have partnered with the Our Watch Institute, Australia’s leading team of violence prevention and gender equality experts, to progress our work in the prevention of violence against women.

Leaning on their expertise, we’ll enhance the internal training and programs we already have in place to build confidence in Bupa’s leaders to appropriately respond and support people in their team who may be experiencing gender-based violence. We’ll also be more visible in the support offered to our people, which includes referrals to support services and access to family and domestic violence leave.

We also want to ensure that we are delivering on our commitment to create a workplace where everyone can feel safe and thrive. We have implemented many measures in this space, including establishing a dedicated working group which is focused on continually improving our policies and processes in support of reducing bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment, and sex discrimination in the workplace.

For our customers, we recognise that sharing experiences of family and domestic violence can be particularly challenging. Therefore, we’re committed to training our employees to recognise the signs, inform customers about appropriate support options, and maintain the confidentiality of their information.  You can read more about the customer support options here.

By partnering with the Our Watch Institute and by making our commitment to addressing gender-based violence public, we hope that we are taking meaningful steps to address this issue, not just now, but for future generations.

(*AIHW 2021-22 PSS)

Bupa has announced a range of measures to support employees, customers, residents and the community including:

• $100,000 donation to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund;
• six months of premium relief for eligible Bupa Health Insurance customers*;
• $10,000 donation to each local Rural Fire Service and Country Fire Authority where our care homes have been impacted, starting with Eden, Tumut and Bairnsdale;
• up to 20 days paid community service leave for employees who are involved in the firefighting and disaster relief effort, along with counselling support for those who have been personally impacted;
• selected dental and optical services** for eligible Bupa customers from Bupa Optical and Bupa-owned dental practices; and
• expansion of our Workplace Giving campaign to support the Red Cross Relief and Recovery appeal and our volunteer fire fighting services, with all employee donations being matched by Bupa until the end of January.

Bupa A&NZ’s Chief Executive Officer, Hisham El-Ansary said Bupa was committed to helping in any way it could during the horrific bushfires.

“Bupa’s immediate focus has been on the safety and care of our aged care residents who live in the impacted areas. We have worked closely with the relevant authorities and acted quickly to ensure that some 200 of our residents have been moved to locations where they can be cared for safely” Mr El-Ansary said.

“Our hearts go out to those who have been impacted by some of the worst fires we have seen in recent times. Our disaster relief package is designed to lessen some of the burden that many will be feeling, while also supporting the efforts of the brave firefighters and emergency services volunteers. I also acknowledge the dedication of our nurses and carers, some of whom have been personally impacted, as they work to comfort our residents during this difficult time,” Mr El-Ansary said.

Bupa customers are encouraged to contact Bupa’s customer service team on 134 135 or bupabushfirerelief@bupa.com.au to discuss what is available to them and how they can access support.
 

*Terms & Conditions include: Bupa Health Insurance customers have held their policy at 1 January 2020 and who have received the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment following the recent bushfires. Customers can lodge their application from 7 January 2020 until 1 July 2020. Customers are required to provide evidence of receipt of their Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment from the Department of Human Services. Customers will be provided premium relief based on their level of cover as at 1 January 2020.
**Eligible Bupa Health Insurance customers will have access to no out-of-pocket (up to $300) for emergency dental treatments at Bupa-owned Platinum or Members First general dental clinics, while both eligible Bupa health insurance and existing Bupa Optical customers will have access to free prescription frames and prescription sunglasses (from a selected range), contact lenses and eye drops from Bupa Optical.

More from Bupa Eden:

• Golf keeps Bupa Eden residents fit and engaged
• Bupa Eden residents know how to make a splash

Meet the aged care residents who travel more than you!

The best present this holiday period is presence.

This Portland home is full of Christmas cheer.

Mark Lewis is a resident whose ailments make real world traveling very difficult. But the virtual travel pioneered by the home’s chef, Margaret Mould have become a breath of fresh air for him and others within the home.

"I've been overseas quite a bit over the past few years and every time I return, I bring my experiences back with me,” Ms Mould said.

“I initially started taking a couple of residents on tours of their home towns through Google street view and it has been really well received so I started doing it in groups,” she said.

As a ten year old living in Malta, Mr Lewis vividly remembers black smoke looming across the horizon near his home. It wasn’t long before he and his neighbours fled the Siege of World War II. 

“I lived in Battery Street, our home overlooked Valletta and the Grand Harbour. I still have distinct memories of battle ships crowding the port. It was quite a dramatic spot to live in because you were literally looking down at the ships,” Mr Lewis said.

“We actually lived in rock shelters for days at a time during the war. My uncle dug a great big hole in his lounge room and built a tunnel with 5 chambers,” he said.

"I was ten when I left and although I am very grateful to be a citizen in Australia, I'm equally as grateful for my heritage. Interestingly enough, I still have 30 odd cousins and a 90 year old aunt over there.”

The technology means residents can overcome mobility and accessibility issues to go on computer generated journeys, fly around town, go on safari, sit under the Colosseum or even explore the Grand Canyon.

“Once a month we travel through different countries - so far, we’ve digitally travelled to Malta, Italy, Holland, some Asian countries and South Africa.”

"When you get to your 80s’, you start to look back at your life and it’s nice to have happy memories.”

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Did you love this pawesome write up? So did the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader.

BeYouAtBupa: Valerie, Cleaner, Bupa Aged Care Morphettville in South Australia.

Whatever floats your boat.

Every part of his boat, from the hull to the smallest pole, are made entirely by hand, from scratch, showing his attention to detail and love of history.

"Building a model boat can be a real challenge. How did I start? A friend of mine got a kit years ago and built a Viking ship. I thought ‘oh yeah’, I'd like to have a go at that and I did," Mr Kelly said.

"This boat (pictured) is a HMS Victory from the 1800s’," he said.

Fred hasn’t always been a modeller though, he turned his profession of cabinet making to boats after retiring. When health issues and a lack of tooling prevented him from machining cabinets professionally, he decided to scale down his operation.

"It is just one of those things, I never really was interested in boats but I’m using my skills, keeping busy and challenging myself."

The recreation room serves as a makeshift workshop, as well as a storage space for all the tools he needs to create model boats.

"I couldn't tell you how many pieces are in the boat but there are a lot."

"This boat has taken me about 12 months so far, although I have to admit that I'm not consistently working on it."

Fred says scale modelling is not only about size, but about representing the past.

"You need patience to tackle a project like this and it is also a good teacher in that regard."

“I enjoy researching the models that I make, you can learn a lot from history and I try to use old methods such as soaking the wood in water so it can be shaped to the curvature of the hull.”

He has no intention of selling the models. Instead, he keeps them as a reminder of his old profession and his new found hobby.

"Really all you need is a Stanley knife, super glue, a ruler, paint brushes and some paint. You need a tub to soak the wood in water so you can curve and shape the wood and that’s about it."

A pioneering initiative recently unveiled by the British Health Secretary has enabled doctors to prescribe therapeutic hobbies for ailments.

Bupa Modbury General Manager Rajiv Chand shares the opinion that there is a real benefit in filling your time with a hobby.

“These days, it’s rare to see people with a hobby. Everyone is so busy, right?" Mr Chand said.

"But whether you’re busy with your career, spending time enjoying your retirement or engaging in some other activities at an aged care home, Fred is living proof that making time for a hobby can have positive benefits,” he said.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics is increasing the problem of antibiotic resistance and we are all part of the problem and the solution.

Last year, we saw chief medical officers of some of the world's biggest employers urge people to change their attitude towards antibiotics as common treatments become less effective.

Members of the Global Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) Network signed a pledge on antimicrobial resistance that urges companies to support the appropriate use of antibiotics, as resistance is on the rise. The CMO Network is a group of some of the world’s largest employers, powered by Bupa.

This year, Bupa announced Bupa Aged Care and the Bupa Health Foundation are supporting an Australian first trial into deadly superbugs in nursing homes that will see a team of researchers monitor the use of antibiotics.

The program will be piloted in two of Bupa’s care homes to help identify proper treatment of infections and the overprescribing of antibiotics.

Australia has been reported to have one of the highest antibiotic prescription rates in the world with around 30 million antibiotics prescribed annually.

There are growing fears globally about strains of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotic drugs. Due to the nature of illness and vulnerability of elderly residents, it is of particular concern in aged care homes.

To help identify the source and spread of the superbug bacteria, researchers from Mon­ash University and Alfred Health will use ­cutting-edge genomic technology as part of the $2.3m program.

Dr Tim Ross, Director of Medical Services, Bupa Villages and Aged Care said programs like this are important to help reduce the rate of antibiotic over prescription.

“Our residents often have multiple medical problems and can be on many medications. Rationalising the use of these medications is one of the key aims when a resident enters one of our homes to reduce the chance of antibiotic resistant bugs developing,” he said.

The problem of antibiotic resistance belongs to everyone and it’s everybody’s responsibility to take antibiotic resistance seriously.

Think twice before taking antibiotics:

Ask the question – do I really need antibiotics?

• Don’t demand antibiotics if your health worker says you don’t need them.
• Always follow your qualified health professional’s advice when using antibiotics.
• Don’t share or reuse antibiotics - Only take antibiotics prescribed for you, by your doctor for that illness – each bacterial infection is different and will respond to different types of antibiotics. This means taking antibiotics designed for a urinary tract infection, for your cough won’t work, and will only increase antibiotic resistance.
• Be patient. Not all infections are bacterial, and even when they are caused by bacteria this doesn’t mean your body won’t be able to fight it off. More often than not you need time, rest and fluids, not antibiotics.

Prevent the spread of infections:

• Prepare food hygienically
• Avoiding close contact with sick people
• Wash your hand regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing - Regular hand washing (using soap and running water) keeps your hands clean and can help stop the spread of all infectious bugs, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Bupa takes the lead in fighting superbugs in aged care

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Bupa leads push to stop antibiotic overuse

“We went out on the boat last year and again this year. We were lucky enough to have a humpback swim beside the boat then and this year they kept their distance but we still saw them,” Mrs Culle said.

“Even though I don’t know how to swim, I have a great respect for the ocean and I have always enjoyed being close to the sea,” she said.

Mrs Culle said it was not unusual for whales to come close to boats, as they are curious creatures and often interact with people in the same way.

Personal Care Assistant and organiser, Tammie Grimes said the trip is something that the residents look forward to all year round.

“This is the best time of the year to see them as they are south bound for Antarctica with their young,” Ms Grimes said.

"Last year, we had the whales close by the boat, at that time, they interacted with us and hopped beside us. It was truly amazing and this year we were lucky enough to see them again," she said.

The home’s General Manager, Kate Bain said the number of whales outside the Port has increased and so has the interest from residents in attending the cruise.

"We have new residents who weren’t on the cruise last year but had heard stories from residents who were."

"They were keen to have the beautiful creatures swim around them and I’m sure the whales were equally as keen to do some people spotting, which was really good for both us and them," Ms Bain said.

Read more about Bupa Eden:

• Golf keeps Bupa Eden residents fit and engaged
• Eden valentines find love again at Bupa aged care home

There were 25 finalists celebrated on the night who were nominated under the categories Family, Pet, Lifestyle, Personal and Wellbeing, along with a People’s Choice winner and an Overall Winner.

The night’s top award went to Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog, Nourish Naturally.

Rebecca was awarded Overall Winner and won the Wellbeing category award.

Rebecca’s blog takes her clinical experience as a dietitian and nutritionist and helps to promote a realistic and achievable approach to healthy eating and nourishing your body naturally.

Rebecca was extremely honoured to be recognised for this year's Bupa Blog Awards .

“I was so excited for the Bupa Blog Awards. It was such a nice surprise to be a finalist and I definitely wasn’t expecting to win.

A record number of more than 16,000 people voted for their favourite blog across all categories for the People’s Choice Award.

Calley Gibson of Life of Pikelet took out the People’s Choice Award and Pet category for the amazing work as Australia's premier Rescue Ambassadog.

Life of Pikelet challenges the stigmas associated with rescue dogs and has rehomed over 50 foster siblings and assisted with the rehoming of hundreds more.

Calley said that winning two awards tonight was a massive surprise and she is looking forward to working with Bupa and other bloggers next year.

"I was expecting to come away with two sore feet - not two awards!

“I’m very excited to be able to become a part of such a great community and gain further support, knowledge and networking. It'll be great to experience this with people that understand and know what I’m doing," she said.

Angie Maddison from The Little Mumma took out the top prize for the Families category for her blog.

Angie is a mum of three and writes beautifully and candidly of her family’s experiences in a relatable, warm and authentic way.

The Lifestyle category winner was Jemma Mrdak for her blog A Stylish Moment for women on a path of confidence, creativity and ultimate style. It's a go-to for all things wellness and lifestyle for women.

Personal category winner for this year is Annie Love from Mumma Love.

She’s a mum to three boys, and navigates parenthood with Leukaemia, Down syndrome and grief through her blog. The beautifully candid blog is all about family, grief, rollercoasters and all the love stories woven in between.

Congratulations to all the 2018 Bupa Blog Award finalists and winners!

Jenny Yuen, Bupa Marketing Content Planner and judge, said it was tough competition and hard to judge and select winners for each category this year.

"It was incredibly difficult to judge and select this year's winners but we loved everything from their amazing writing to their unique perspectives on what it means to live healthier, happier lives.

"All our winners do incredible things for their online communities, and we're so pleased to be able to recognise and celebrate them," she said.

This year was the fifth year of the Bupa Blog Awards, recognising people outside of Bupa who have a strong influence on their community’s health and wellness.

This talented group of award winners will be invited to join Bupa’s exclusive influencer program, with free webinars, workshops and insights from those who have successfully navigated the blogger and influencer space.

They’ll also receive opportunities to work with Bupa on marketing campaigns throughout the year.

To help grow their influencer platform to improve the health and happiness of their online community, winners from each category have been awarded $1,000.

Our People’s Choice winner, Life of Pikelet, takes away $2,000 and $3,000 goes to our overall winner Rebecca Gawthorne for her blog Nourish Naturally.

Find out more about the awards and all our fantastic Bupa Blog Award finalists on the Blue Room.

#BupaBlogAwards

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Today Tonight Adelaide: Bupa Blog Awards 2018

2018 Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced

2017 Bupa Blog Award winners announced

Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced for 2017

The Bupa Blog Awards were launched back in 2013, as a new way to share Bupa’s health and care expertise to a wider audience. Five years on, it’s become one of Australia’s most recognised blog award programs.

Alex McDonald, Head of Content and Social at Bupa Australia told Today Tonight Adelaide that it has given Bupa an opportunity to source local talent.

“The blog awards give such a beautiful opportunity for people to recognise their favourite bloggers and to give them that recognition they deserve for all of their hard work.

“There are more than 20 million health and wellness searches every month on Google.

“What we saw was a real opportunity - not for Bupa to provide all the answers but to source local influencer talent to help people connect to their health queries,” said Ms Mcdonald.

Sally O’Neil, the self-confessed fitness fanatic and health food lover created her own blog called the Fit Foodie.

O’Neil shares recipes, reviews and real life stories which have been turned into a cook book. Her blog is now up for a Bupa Blog Award under the category of wellbeing.

Categories for the award include wellbeing, lifestyle, family, personal, and pets with a peoples choice winner and an overall winner.

Find out more here.

Read more about the Bupa Blog Awards:

2018 Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced

2017 Bupa Blog Award winners announced

Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced for 2017

“Ikebana has been practiced for more than six hundred years and is an empowering form of self-expression for our residents who are living with dementia, they respond well and have shown improvements in their mood after a session,” Ms Timbang said.

A point which was reaffirmed by Bupa’s Head of Dementia Services, Margaret Ryan who said the innocuous nature of flower arranging provides an opportunity for socialising and a great initiative being run throughout Dementia Awareness Month.

“Interacting with flowers is a stimulative experience. A person living with a memory-loss condition may enjoy activities even if they do not remember them. What is important is that the moment is enjoyed, even though the experience may be soon forgotten, the sense of wellbeing and the positive feelings generated will be retained longer,” Ms Ryan said.

Partaking in group activities can be both engaging and satisfying even when language and processing skills are diminished by dementia.

“Flower arranging is simple, provides cognitive and sensory stimulation, can help preserve motor skills, and instils a sense of ownership, independence and accomplishment which is great for our residents living with dementia,” she said.

Loreto Kirribilli year 10 student, Isabella Rubina who volunteers at the home said the sessions have been just as beneficial for her as they have been for the residents.

“My grandfather had dementia, so I am familiar with disease. Volunteering at the home has been an eye opening experience and reminded me to continue being more compassionate,” she said.

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Rosalyn spoke about how Bupa has conducted research with its own employees and found while 25% reported a healthy diet, 86% said they wanted to be healthier.

Through this research, 2-3 years ago, Rosalyn said, Bupa started slowly transitioning their office vending machines to include low-sugar and low-salt snacks, such as air popped popcorn and low sugar drinks.

Tom asked if this is a way of removing temptations for people, with Rosalyn explaining it's exactly what they're doing. However, Rosalyn says it is about shaping an environment with healthier options being available to employees.

Healthier vending machines include food and drink labelled with green, amber and red dots. The traffic light system identifies foods nutritious value of food by the colours. Eg. Green= healthiest option Amber= moderate rating Red= least healthy.

Rosalyn also touched on the FoodSwitch app which was developed by Bupa and The George Institute to help Australians make healthier food choices when grocery shopping.

Scanning the barcode of a packaged food gives you easy-to-understand nutritional information with either traffic-light style or Health Star Rating (HSR) labels so you can see at a glance how healthy the food item is.

Listen to the full interview below.

Bupa’s Australian health insurance boss, Dwayne Crombie, has dismissed concerns about increased transparency around doctors’ fees and performance, arguing it was patients driving the push, not insurers.

"I think Michael Gannon and the AMA need to get real. Consumers will give feedback — they’re giving feedback now in a completely unmoderated fashion. It’s time to listen to the feedback."

Read the full story here.

Independent Hospital Pricing Authority figures show the number of private patients being treated in public hospital emergency rooms has jumped 74.9 per cent from 2012-13 to 2015-16.

The figures show Queensland and Western Australia have the highest number of public hospital patients being shifted onto private cover.

Mr Hunt says while all Australians were entitled to access public hospitals free of charge, things must change.

“The practice of public hospitals billing private health insurance is driving up the cost of insurance premiums and pushing out waiting lists for public patients,” Mr Hunt told media.

Bupa backs crackdown

The report echoes Bupa’s call for a crackdown on the practice.

“We believe there should be much greater scrutiny of, and transparency regarding, the information provided to members to help them make decisions to either elect to be a private patient or exercise their right to be a public patient,” Bupa said in its recent submission to a Senate Inquiry into the value and affordability of private health insurance.

“Current behaviour by many public hospitals sees many Bupa members receiving a bedside visit after a procedure or letters two or three months after an event pressuring them to declare their private cover and we believe this is unquestionably inappropriate and contrary to the intent of private patient declaration.”

Bupa says Public hospitals should only be able to charge private patients in the case of;

• pre-booked admissions (e.g. not emergency);
• if they have contracts with health insurers, with the contract to allow compliance, monitoring and audits, as per arrangements with private hospitals; and
• if the patient signs a statement prior to admission, submitted to insurer at least 24 hours prior to hospitalisation, with the statement clearly spelling out the additional benefits that will be received as a private patient e.g. choice of doctor.

A bigger issue

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph found public hospitals have been hiring workers whose sole job is to persuade patients to get their health fund to pay for their hospital care, adding $330 a year to premiums.

In a submission to a Senate Inquiry the peak health insurance group Private Healthcare Australia, published research which found cost shifting has been growing at 12% a year since 2009.

It called for the removal of state government quotas for non-source revenue, with increased monitoring of private patient flows through public hospitals.

PHA also called for enhance informed consent processes to protect customers, and greater transparency on care being provided.

Bupa ANZ CEO, Richard Bowden, used his experience in the UK to highlight the urgent need to reform funding for aged care in Australia.

The article refers to Bupa's preference for a funding system where people who can afford it contribute to the cost of their care, while those who can't continue to be heavily subsidised.

Mr Bowden this will help ensure the sustainability of the sector.

Mr Bowden used the example of cuts to the UK aged care system to demonstrate the importance of reviewing funding so Bupa can care for older Australians in the best possible way.

"You want people getting the very best care in the very best setting, and sometimes that's at home, sometimes in a care home, sometimes that's in hospital and that's the way you have to think about it."

You can read the full article here.

Richard Bowden tells News Ltd's Jeff Whalley Bupa is determined to address affordability.

He also says Bupa does not back “risk rating” for health insurance.

Read the article here.

Dr Chris Dalton, the National Medical Director for Bupa Australia & New Zealand has some advice.

“If you are over 55, we encourage patients who have been recommended a knee arthroscopy to get a second opinion, and be aware that if you’re doing it because of pain there’s no good evidence to show that it’s beneficial.”

Dr Dalton says as people get older knee joints start to wear out, while osteoarthritis can be a cause of pain, long term injuries and degeneration are often the culprit.

“It seems likely large numbers of these procedures are being performed for degenerative disease,” he says.

“People get aches and pains and the idea was that if you trimmed or cleaned up any torn cartilage or damaged tissues in the knee you’ll relieve some of that pain.”

An analysis of Bupa data from 2011 to April 2016 shows the total number of knee arthroscopy episodes was 73,874, with 51% of these performed in patients over 55.

The total spend by Bupa on knee arthroscopies from 2011 to March 2017, including known out of pocket costs, was close to $343,000,000.

With affordability being the biggest issue for private health care, Dr Dalton says spending vast sums on these sorts of procedures just isn’t sustainable.

“It’s better for everybody because that encourages people to take up private health insurance if the cost is lower and that takes strain off the public system.

Dr Dalton refers to trials in which an ‘operation’ was done by making an incision on a patient’s knee but not actually performing any procedure.

“They compared those patients to people having cartilage trimmed up or loose tissue removed. The patients were unaware which group they were in and there was no difference between the two groups.”

“That was pretty good evidence this procedure wasn’t achieving anything in terms of pain relief or improved function.”

“Because the knee is deteriorating these minor procedures won’t do anything to alleviate that.”

Taking strain off the knee though weight loss and strengthening the muscles around the knee is a better option in many cases.

Dr Dalton stresses every case is different and with inevitable deterioration the ultimate solution is a knee replacement.

But there’s some hope. From 2014 to 2016, there’s been a 26% decline in the numbers of knee arthroscopies in Bupa members over 55 years old.

“It’s a better deal all round. If we can hold costs down, we can hold our premiums down,” says Dr Dalton.

Dr Crombie is hopeful the Federal Government will oversee reforms to address affordability.

The Huddo Family Stand is a joint initiative by the Hawthorn Football Club and Bupa to recognise Peter Hudson’s legacy as a Tassie hero, a Hawks Club legend and a valued Bupa employee.

The Huddo Family Stand will host Auskick families at every Hawks game in Tasmania from today.

“Family is something that’s close to my heart, and it was support from my family which helped me succeed in life – on and off the field.”

^{Hawks Club legend Peter Hudson and Isaac Allan, 6, of Launceston. Pic Tess Brunton, Launceston Examiner}

The naming of the stand was for the Hawks and Bupa to honour Peter Hudson and his legendary status in the AFL game and his enormous contribution to Bupa throughout his 20-year career with the organisation.

“It’s a real honour to be recognised with The Huddo Family Stand. It's been made possible by the Hawks, my former club, and Bupa.”

Over the past 18 years, Bupa has worked closely with Life Be In It, to bring to life the Bupa Kidfit Series, a children’s triathlon series, to get Tassie families out and active together.

It’s something Huddo backs all the way.

“It’s a great investment in the health of the community and has become part of the local fabric here.”

“I’m so proud to work for Bupa, who share my commitment to help make a positive difference to the health of Tasmanian families.”

Bupa is excited to be part of the naming of the stand.

“What better way to bring together three of Huddo's passions – footy, healthy children and family - than by honouring an area that ensures his legendary status will continue to grow for the generations of the future?” says Bupa’s Head of Health & Care Marketing, Marketing, Adrian Baillargeon.

For the record, 12,000 people were on hand to watch the Hawks draw with Greater Western Sydney

New research by the George Institute reveals some servings of junk food have ballooned by more than 60 per cent.

By Sarah-Jane Tasker Picture: David Geraghty

The head of Australia’s largest private health insurer, Richard Bowden, warns short-term thinking on healthcare policy and a lack of bipartisan support could stifle much-needed sector reform.

Mr Bowden, who returned to the top job at Bupa’s Australian and New Zealand arm earlier this year, said while he talked to ­government about both long and short-term objectives, unfortunately the political focus was often pulled back to the short term.

“We need a 10-year, or longer, view and you need a bipartisan view on healthcare in a country like Australia,” he said.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/bupas-richard-bowden-urges-longterm-view-for-healthcare-reform/news-story/7a381a02ab4caceed1121efe497d6ac3