About

Who we are

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) is an independent government agency.

We assist the Australian Government to fund hospital and aged care services more efficiently by providing evidence-based price determinations and pricing advice. IHACPA delivers an annual program of work through consultation and collaboration with the Australian Government, state and territory governments, advisory committees, key stakeholders and the public.

The Pricing Authority is IHACPA’s board and it provides advice to the government. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day-to-day management of IHACPA and our staff.

Our organisational values shape IHACPA’s culture and stakeholder engagement. These are our core values:

  • We act with independence, transparency, fairness, respect, accuracy and accountability.
  • We value collaboration and demonstrate our values in the way we interact internally, with our stakeholders and with the broader community.
  • We value the work, talent and contribution of our staff, and create organisation-wide development strategies to maintain and grow expertise and intellectual capital.
  • Our staff act ethically, support a collaborative culture and take pride in their work.

Learn more about the Pricing Authority and our people.

What we do

IHACPA’s main functions in relation to public hospitals and aged care are to:

  • determine the national efficient price for health care services provided by public hospitals where the services are funded on an activity basis
  • determine the efficient cost for health care services provided by public hospitals where the services are block funded
  • advise the Commonwealth in relation to certain health care pricing and costing matters (if requested by the relevant ministers or the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care)
  • provide advice about certain aged care pricing and costing matters to each relevant Commonwealth minister
  • perform such functions as are conferred on IHACPA by the Aged Care Act
  • approve higher maximum accommodation payment amounts and extra service fees as set out under section 52G–4 and 35–1 of the Aged Care Act.

To learn more about our work, visit the IHACPA website.

Our consultations

IHACPA is committed to ongoing open and transparent consultation with the Australian Government, states and territories, the health and aged care sectors, health and aged care stakeholders and the general community.

To enable meaningful consultation, we invite feedback from stakeholders via a public consultation process. This ensures that our determinations and advice are not only transparent and evidence-based but also reflective of the broader impacts on health care and aged care services across Australia.

If you need help with a submission, please contact IHACPA by email enquiries.ihacpa@ihacpa.gov.au or by calling +61 2 8215 1100.

Feedback gathered is crucial to the success of IHACPA’s outcomes. To be notified of the next consultation please subscribe to our mailing list.

Consultation cycle

Our annual cycle of public consultations include:

  • The Draft Work Program and Corporate Plan – outlines our key areas of work and invites public comment on the agency’s planned activities for the following year.
  • The Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Public Hospital Services – the main method for providing input on the policy approach adopted by IHACPA that will determine the national efficient price and national efficient cost for public hospital services. 
  • The Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services – the main method to inform the policy decisions that will outline IHACPA’s approach to developing residential aged care and residential respite aged care pricing advice for the Australian Government.
  • The Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Support at Home Aged Care Services – the main method to inform the policy decisions that will outline IHACPA’s approach to developing Support at Home service list pricing advice for the Australian Government.