Every year in Australia, thousands of patients miss out on timely access to medical technologies that could dramatically improve, extend, or even save their lives. Not because these innovations don’t exist – but because our health technology assessment and reimbursement system isn’t keeping pace.
A national report released this week titled Accelerating Access to Innovative Medical Technologies in Australia, developed by HTAnalysts in collaboration with Edwards Lifesciences, reveals Australians are waiting an average 4.7years to access life-saving medical technologies due to our nation’s outdated and slow reimbursement processes.
Drawing on insights from the national Healthcare Leaders Series roundtable, the report unites clinicians, hospitals, patient advocates and MedTech experts in proposing reforms that could speed patient access to innovative medical technologies.
Health Economist and Policy Strategist, HTAnalysts, A/Prof Colman Taylor, Sydney, said Australia’s approval processes are slow and create inequities in patient care.
“While countries such as the UK, Germany, and the US typically approve medical devices within one to two years, Australia can take nearly five years – more than double the time.”
Watch A/Prof Colman Taylor’s short video below discussing the report:
What’s driving the delays?
According to the new report, several systemic issues are slowing the adoption and reimbursement of new medical technologies in Australia:
1. Complex and lengthy approval pathways
Multiple, overlapping assessment processes result in reimbursement decisions that often take years.
2. Fragmented funding models
Public and private systems are governed by different rules, creating inequities and misaligned incentives.
3. Outdated evidence requirements
The current Health Technology Assessment (HTA) framework still relies heavily on randomised controlled trials, overlooking real-world evidence (RWE) that is often more appropriate for evaluating medical devices.
4. Narrow measures of “value”
Existing frameworks focus largely on cost-effectiveness, failing to account for patient-centred outcomes such as independence, mobility, and quality of life.
5. Public–private disparities
Where a patient lives and whether they are treated publicly or privately can significantly influence the care and technologies they can access.
The human cost of delays
For Sydney father and grandfather Stuart, 54, the differences between public and private care were revealed in the most critical moment of his life – when he experienced a sudden, ‘silent’ aortic dissection in July 2022.
At hospital, he was asked whether he wanted to be admitted as a public or private patient. Despite holding premium private insurance, he was advised to enter the public system – a decision that gave him access to the technology that ultimately saved his life, even with only a 10–15 per cent chance of survival.
“I had no idea that whether I went public or private could change the life-saving care I received,” said Stuart.
Stuart reflects on his experience in this short video:
When delays become dangerous: the case of aortic stenosis and TAVI
One of the clearest examples of this issue is Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) –
a minimally invasive procedure used to treat severe aortic stenosis. TAVI offers shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, and fewer complications compared with open-heart surgery.
An estimated 1,500 Australians each year miss the opportunity for timely treatment. For those living with severe aortic stenosis, these delays can lead to rapid health deterioration, reduced quality of life, and increased reliance on the healthy system.
Even today, access remains uneven, with funding constraints affecting public hospitals’ capacity to offer TAVI, and slower reimbursement processes delaying access for private patients.
“For patients living with severe aortic stenosis, waiting years can be the difference between life and death,” said Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Victoria Heart Hospital and Monash Health, Professor Jayme Bennetts, Melbourne.
Professor Jayme Bennetts explains in this short video:
How Australia compares globally
Comparable countries are moving faster and more flexibly. The United States and Germany have established pathways that allow provisional access to emerging technologies while evidence generation continues, ensuring patients benefit sooner. Yet Australia’s more conservative, linear processes create delays that exceed international timelines by years, leaving patients behind, and placing further pressure on the health system.
What needs to change
The report outlines a suite of reforms that could accelerate access to innovative medical technologies:
- Setting performance targets for reimbursement timelines
- Introducing priority review pathways linked to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for faster assessments
- Streamlining assessment and resubmission processes
- Creating provisional funding mechanisms across public and private sectors
- Embedding patient lived experience into decision-making
- Enhanced input from clinical experts and comprehensive value frameworks
- Improving the use of real-world evidence in Health Technology Assessment decisions
- Publishing transparent updates on Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) listing progress.
A path forward for patients and the health system
The proposed reforms aim to ensure ALL Australians – whether public or private patients – gain faster, equitable access to life-saving medical technologies without compromising safety or quality.
Small business owner, support worker, mother, and grandmother, Jillian, 63, Brisbane, whose life was saved by access to innovative heart surgery, believes all patients should have timely access to innovative medical technology, just as she did.
“I was fortunate to have a surgeon experienced with the latest medical technologies.
“Using an advanced device not yet widely used in Australia, they were able to replace my aortic valve, root, and arch in a single, life-saving procedure,” Jillian said.
“In my experience, innovation and advanced technology help ensure patients get the right care as quickly as possible.
“If these tools were accessible to all – not just those with private health cover or urgent cases – they could reduce hospital readmissions, improve long-term outcomes, and lower overall costs,” said Jillian.
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