Alpine Health

By 1994 it was estimated that there were more that twenty small hospitals across rural Victoria that were facing closure due to changes in government funding structures and low patient turnover. It appeared that smaller rural hospitals which offered limited surgical services and had no waiting lists were under scrutiny. Adding to the apprehension was a realisation that the funding structure, "Casemix" which had been introduced in 1993, concentrated on the hospital receiving money according to how many patients they treated. Real concern was beginning to surface in many small rural hospitals about the possible closure of some health services