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Who we are

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) is an independent government agency established as the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA) under Commonwealth legislation on 15 December 2011 as part of the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) reached by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in August 2011.

The NHRA sets out the intention of all Australian governments to work in partnership to improve health outcomes for all Australians.

IHACPA is a key element of the NHRA and is charged with determining the national efficient price (NEP) for public hospital services, allowing for the national introduction of activity based funding (ABF).

The implementation of ABF provides incentives for efficiency and increases transparency in the delivery and funding of public hospital services across Australia.

IHACPA's primary function is to calculate and deliver an annual NEP. The NEP is a major determinant of the level of Australian Government funding for public hospital services and provides a price signal or benchmark for the efficient cost of providing public hospital services. We undertake several major areas of work designed to inform the annual determination of the NEP, including ongoing consultation with all Australian health departments, expert advisory committees and key stakeholders.

We work in partnership with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to ensure that pricing, quality and performance measures for public hospitals are complementary and facilitate a strong national framework for the delivery of public hospital services.

Our vision is for all Australians to have fair access to transparent, sustainable and high-quality health and aged care. We use data-driven evidence to set fair pricing in the Australian health and aged care sectors, driving better outcomes.

IHACPA is required to publish details of Statutory Appointments. This list is published in accordance with the requirements for the Information Publication Scheme under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

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