The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has recently released Australian health expenditure – demographics and diseases: hospital admitted patient expenditure 2004-05 to 2012-13. Given that hospital admitted patient expenditure is estimated to have cost $45.0 billion in 2012-13, this information provides insight into trends in expenditure among different demographic and disease groups.

In Australia in 2012-13, injuries were the second highest of all major disease expenditure in 2012-13 at $4.1 billion (9% of the total expenditure).

The following highlights key injury facts from the report:

• For people living in remote and very remote areas of WA the highest proportion of expenditure was for injuries (10.8% of total expenditure).
• Males aged 15-27 had the highest spending for males, totally 27.4% of the total expenditure for male injuries, followed by males aged 5-14 at 21.2%.
• Injuries had the highest ranked spending for females aged 5-14, at 15.1% of the total expenditure for this age group.
• Admitted patient expenditure per person significantly increased from 2004-05 to 2012-13.
• From 2004-05 to 2012-13, males had the highest overall increase in injury expenditure compared to all disease groups, with a $799 million increase.

For more information about hospital admitted patient expenditure, click here to view the report.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australian health expenditure – demographics and diseases: hospital admitted patient expenditure 2004-05 to 2012-13. Canberra: AIHW; 2017. (Health and welfare expenditure series no. 59).