Table 3.

Examples of criteria for resource allocation decisions

WHETHER TO BUY				WHAT, WHERE AND HOW TO BUY
Organisation-wide Committee	Program Committee	Department	Individual decision-makers	Approved Purchasing Units	Organisation-wide Committee	Department
Introduction of new health technologies and clinical practices	Purchase of capital equipment	Purchase of capital equipment	Determination of clinical practices and purchase of clinical equipment	General purchasing	Purchase of clinical consumables	Purchase of pharmaceuticals
Explicit criteria required for decision-making	Criteria ‘usually’ considered A weighted ranking is used for prioritisation	Theoretical ‘ideal’ criteria developed in workshop (different to criteria used in current practice)	Criteria ‘usually’ considered	Criteria ‘usually’ considered	Criteria ‘usually’ considered	Criteria ‘usually’ considered
▪ Conflict of interest (Applicant and Committee members) ▪ Evidence of safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness (quality of evidence, size of effect and applicability addressed) ▪ Cost ▪ Clinical feasibility (resource implications, training, credentialing and competency assurance addressed) ▪ Access and equity ▪ Legal and ethical implications ▪ Suitable patient information brochure	▪ Equipment serviceability and impact ▪ Clinical risk ▪ Occupational Health and Safety risk ▪ Accreditation and regulatory requirements ▪ Strategic importance to Monash Health ▪ Savings in operational cost and/or ability to generate funds ▪ Improved access	▪ Workload management ▪ Clinical evidence ▪ Patient benefit ▪ Need ▪ Prioritisation of patient groups ▪ Waiting list ▪ Benchmarking ▪ Replacement for obsolescence ▪ Staff capacity ▪ Allocated budget ▪ Ongoing costs ▪ Funding opportunities ▪ Financial benefit to health service ▪ Multi-use of expensive capital ▪ State-wide planning and coordination ▪ Impact on other areas	▪ Quality and safety/clinical risk ▪ Reducing complications ▪ Ease of use ▪ Staff capacity ▪ Cost/cost effectiveness ▪ Consumer demand ▪ Delivery time of machines ▪ Brand changes (implications for spare parts, training, etc.) ▪ Training needs of staff and consumers ▪ Quality of care	All APU purchase decisions are made with commercial/financial consideration including ▪ Price ▪ Cost-effectiveness ▪ Improved supply chain efficiencies Other factors considered ▪ Clinical need ▪ Legal issues including Health Purchasing Victoria contract requirements	▪ Price ▪ Australian standards and regulations for quality and safety ▪ Infection control/ Occupational Health and Safety standards ▪ Serviceability ▪ Business administration such as supply chain and logistics ▪ Meets organisation’s clinical emphasis and infrastructure requirements ▪ Clinical acceptability and effectiveness	▪ Labelling ▪ Quality ▪ Price ▪Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme status ▪ Acceptance