Patient Assistance Transport Scheme

88 88Mrs HURN (Schubert) (12 September 2023). In relation to the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme, how many applications were deemed ineligible in the financial year of 2022-23?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing): I have been advised:

To be eligible for Patient Assistance Transport Scheme PATS assistance, a patient must be referred to their nearest specialist service for the particular clinical specialty. Regional local health networks work hard to provide services closer to home, reducing the need for patients to travel unnecessarily, PATS is then used to subsidise travel when these services are not available within 100 kilometres.

Claims are deemed ineligible to receive a subsidy when they do not meet the eligibility criteria.

During the 2023-23 financial year there were 1,647 declined/ineligible claims. This equates to 3.98 per cent of the total submitted claims.