Indigenous health reporting
The national Key Performance Indicators (nKPI) and Online Services Report (OSR) collect data from organisations funded by the Australian Government to provide primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care collects data from Indigenous Health Services funded by the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP).
Data are collected for two main data sets:
National Key Performance Indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care
Online Services Report
Solving Health is contracted by the Department of Health and Aged Care to support these data collections.
National Key Performance Indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care
National Key Performance Indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care (nKPIs) are collected six monthly in January and July through the Health Data Portal. The nKPIs provide reporting organisations with data they can use to improve the delivery of primary health care services. The collection consists of 20 indicators focussing on maternal and child health, chronic disease management, and preventative health. Two additional indicators are in pilot phase. The indicator set was endorsed by the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) in 2011 and data was first collected in June 2012. Since 2014, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has used this data to produce a range of reports on primary care. Detailed information about the nKPI data collection is available from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.
Online Services Report
The Online Services Report (OSR) collects national data about Australian Government-funded organisations that deliver health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The OSR is reported annually in July through the Health Data Portal. The OSR data collection focusses on specific characteristics of provided services, including a basic measure of activity, volume, and coverage. Detailed information about the OSR data collection is available from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.
Results from the nKPI and OSR data collections are developed and published by the AIHW. These data sets contribute to the delivery of comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. They also enable the Department of Health and Aged Care to develop and manage data informed evidence-based policy and programs aimed at Closing the Gap health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities and to measure progress of those programs. Data and reporting on the progress of health service provision also informs longer term strategic planning and shapes Commonwealth investment in Indigenous primary health care.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services Data Advisory Group (HS DAG) provides advice and supports the Department of Health and Aged Care to shape a robust evidence base through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care data collections, supporting policy and program development and improved service delivery.
For more information about these data collections, please email the Department of Health and Aged Care at: indigenousreporting@health.gov.au
Reporting specifications
Since 2018, health services have been able to submit many of the reportable measures directly from their clinical information systems. Detailed reporting requirements for these measures are documented in the Specifications for National Key Performance Indicators and Online Services Reporting.
Solving Health assumed responsibility for the specifications document in January 2023.
The document is intended for use by service providers and clinical information system vendors. A full description of each measure, including inclusions, exclusions and counting rules are detailed in this document. The Specifications also include the nKPI Condition Coding Framework and the nKPI Pathology Coding Framework.
For further information please email info@solvinghealth.au
Download the current Specifications for National Key Performance Indicators and Online Services Reporting via the button below.
Current version: Specifications for nKPI and OSR reporting v16.1 (published March 2024).
Validation of reports
Commencing in 2023, Solving Health was contracted by the Department of Health and Aged Care to validate the nKPI and OSR reports, using a control data set (CDS) to check the integrity of the report outputs. This process provides a quality assurance check that the clinical information systems are accurately reporting each of the indicators. The CDS is comprised of synthetic data designed to cover all reportable measures. Four clinical information systems are validated – Best Practice, Communicare, Medical Director, and MMEx.
The results of each validation process conducted by Solving Health are presented in the format of a web accessible scorecard. As the scorecard presents summary results by clinical information system it is referred to as the Vendor Scorecard. The Vendor Scorecard can be downloaded via the button below.
Historical versions of the scorecard can be requested by emailing info@solvinghealth.au
Current version: Vendor Scorecard December 2023 (December 2023).
Useful links
nKPI and OSR data collections
National Key Performance Indictors (Department of Health) - https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health/reporting/nkpis
National Key Performance Indicators (AIHW) - https://www.aihw.gov.au/about-our-data/our-data-collections/national-key-performance-indicators/about-nkpi-collection
Online Services Report (Department of Health) - https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health/reporting/osr
Review of the two national Indigenous specific primary health care datasets: The Online Services Report and the national Key Performance Indicators - https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-australians/review-of-the-two-national-indigenous-specific-pri/summary
Results from the OSR and nKPI collections (AIHW) - https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-australians/indigenous-primary-health-care-results-osr-nkpi/contents/about
Health Data Portal
Health Data Portal User Help - https://dataportal.health.gov.au/wps/portal/dataportalcontent/usersupport/userhelpihdr
Related initiatives and programs
Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) - https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/indigenous-australians-health-programme
National Agreement on Closing the Gap - https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/closing-gap
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031 - https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-plan-2021-2031