Economics can certainly add the ‘oomph’ factor. Economic tools deal with how well (or poorly) we are using available resources from dollars to human capital, and as the old saying goes ‘there is more than one way to cook an egg’. In the last blog within our Health Economist series, we draw on a couple of examples to show how they can be used to help commissioning organisations.

For the real world of commissioning services in the middle of imperfect data and evidence, there is much more to economics than cost-effectiveness and trial evaluations: From understanding where the greatest needs are and how they align (or not) with patterns of resource allocation, through to examining the major cost drivers and frequent users of services.

The Suicide Prevention Care Pathway provides a huge opportunity to bring the local sector together and guide engagement and development activities into the future that build the capacity and capability of the ‘system’ to better respond to people at risk of suicide.

We genuinely believe that meaningful participation at a project governance level leads to better project outcomes and promotes ownership of the project. Stakeholders who are involved in project governance groups have the opportunity to provide feedback on the overall approach for the project, ensure that...

Central to being an effective commissioner of health services is the ability to use insight to make better investment decisions. Given that the Beacon Strategies team has been involved in a number of evaluation and program reviews in the PHN environment we think it is timely to share a few tips in relation to commissioning effective evaluations and program reviews.

As the 31 PHNs across Australia continue improve their capability and effectiveness in health service commissioning, the current policy setting will require PHNs to apply their commissioning frameworks in a more integrated and collaborative way via co-commissioning.

Given the nature of their role, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are constantly required to engage effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders. Engagement underpins health needs assessments, regional planning activities, service co-design and program reviews/evaluation to name just a few.

This evaluation explored how well the program had engaged people from CALD backgrounds, if it had led to improvements in mental health and wellbeing, and how the program ‘fits’ within the region’s stepped care model

Do organisations that commission programs, whether it be through grants, tenders or philanthropic donations, fully appreciate the important leadership role they play in the sector? We identify a couple of activities that reflect a more proactive and deliberate approach by funders of social programs to getting the best outcomes and bringing service providers along on the journey.