Frequently Asked Questions

How has Medibank compared hospitals?

We have compared the patient experience scores of similar sized private and public hospitals for which we have at least 25 completed survey responses in the most recent 12 month period. Hospitals have been grouped together into four comparison groups of hospitals of a similar size and service offering (including whether they have a 24hr accident and emergency department and an intensive care unit), using the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (AIHW) private hospital and public hospital peer groups.

‘Better than’ or ‘above’ means that the hospital’s score is in the top 25% of scores for that area of patient experience for hospitals in their comparison group. ‘Lower than’ or ‘below’ means that the hospital’s score is in the bottom 25% of scores for that area of patient experience for hospitals in their comparison group. ‘About the same’ or ‘similar’ means the hospital’s score for that area of patient experience is between the top 25% and the bottom 25% of scores for hospitals in their comparison group.

Patient experience scores have been adjusted to account for differences in patient factors that were found to have either a negative or positive impact on patient experience. The University of Melbourne conducted an independent review and validation of the patient experience data and recommended an approach to adjusting the patient experience scores to ensure a fair comparison between hospitals. For example, a patient’s age, gender, self-reported health status or type of treatment received in hospital were among the factors that were found to have either a positive or negative impact on patient experience that we have adjusted for.