{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T23:44:44Z","timestamp":1785800684199,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Australia\u2019s hospital performance framework measures emergency department throughput and elective surgery waiting times, but ignores the inpatient journey where older Australian patients face invisible delays. This Perspective proposes National Medical Measures, simple ward-level flow indicators, to make delay patterns observable throughout the acute episode. The National Health Reform Agreement Addendum 2026\u20132031 requires Health Ministers to develop performance indicators for long-stay patients and cross-sector interfaces; this policy window should include ward-flow measurement. These measures would deliver national visibility of inpatient delays for the first time, establishing the baseline evidence needed to inform earlier clinical intervention, future target setting, and capacity planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1071\/ah26114","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T22:56:48Z","timestamp":1785797808000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Unlocking hidden hospital beds: national medical ward flow measures to make inpatient delays visible"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"50","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7561-5469","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Abigail","family":"Cliff","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Create Health Advisory A , , , .","place":["Brisbane, Qld, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026080318563970100_R1"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R2"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R3"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R4"},{"issue":"8","key":"2026080318563970100_R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.52462","article-title":"The likelihood of hospital-acquired complications in older people with dementia: a matched cohort study.","volume":"221","author":"Chr\u00f3in\u00edn","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"issue":"6","key":"2026080318563970100_R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.52424","article-title":"Hospital costs for unplanned re-admissions within 30 days of hospitalisations with heart failure, Australia, 2013\u20132017: a retrospective cohort study.","volume":"221","author":"Dang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"issue":"6","key":"2026080318563970100_R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"310","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.52420","article-title":"Non-index hospital re-admissions after hospitalisation with acute myocardial infarction and geographic remoteness, New South Wales, 2005\u20132020: a retrospective cohort study.","volume":"221","author":"Shawon","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R8"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R9","unstructured":"Productivity Commission. Report on Government Services 2026. Productivity Commission; 2026."},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R10","unstructured":"Australian Government. National Health Reform Agreement - Addendum 2026\u20132031. Australian Government; 2026."},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R11"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R12","unstructured":"NSW Productivity and Equality Commission. Inquiry into older patients stranded in NSW public hospitals. NSW Government; 2026."},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R13","unstructured":"Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Health Ministers\u2019 Meeting. Communiqu\u00e9, 1 May 2026. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; 2026. Available at https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/resources\/publications\/health-ministers-meeting-hmm-communique-1-may-2026-0"},{"key":"2026080318563970100_R14"},{"issue":"3","key":"2026080318563970100_R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1071\/AH15071","article-title":"Report on the 4-h rule and National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) in Australia: time to review.","volume":"40","author":"Staib","year":"2016","journal-title":"Aust Health Rev"},{"issue":"9","key":"2026080318563970100_R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5694\/mja15.01177","article-title":"The National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) and the 4-hour rule: time to review the target.","volume":"204","author":"Sullivan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Med J Aust"},{"issue":"5","key":"2026080318563970100_R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annemergmed.2011.08.017","article-title":"Time patients spend in the emergency department: England\u2019s 4-hour rule-a case of hitting the target but missing the point?","volume":"59","author":"Mason","year":"2012","journal-title":"Ann Emerg Med"}],"container-title":["Australian Health Review"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/ah\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/AH26114\/1948232\/ah26114.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/ah\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/AH26114\/1948232\/ah26114.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T22:56:49Z","timestamp":1785797809000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/ah\/article\/50\/3\/AH26114\/275343\/Unlocking-hidden-hospital-beds-national-medical"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Robert","family":"Borotkanics","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/ah26114","relation":{},"ISSN":["0156-5788","1449-8944"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0156-5788","type":"print"},{"value":"1449-8944","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"article-number":"AH26114"}}