Health-care incident—geographic remoteness, remoteness classification (ASGS-RA) code N

Guide for use:

The remoteness classification of an entity can be derived using characteristics of its physical location, e.g. its map location or its Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1).

The remoteness classification (RA1 to RA5) can be found with knowledge of the map location or SA1 of the hospital or other health service provider at which the health-care incident occurred. State/territory maps displaying remoteness areas are available from 'ASGS Remoteness Structure Edition 2011 PDF Maps'. Mapping between SA1 and remoteness area is detailed in the 'Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) to Remoteness Area (RA) ASGS Edition 2011 in csv. Format' data cube. The website with these and other aids for remoteness classification can be accessed via the following link:

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/
1270.0.55.005July%202011?OpenDocument

The SA1 ('Region code') of a region, along with other relevant information, can be found on the interactive map of Australia accessible via the following link:

http://betaworks.abs.gov.au/betaworks/betaworks.nsf/
projects/ASGSBoundariesOnline/frame.htm

When the health-care incident that gave rise to a medical indemnity claim involved a series of events that occurred in more than one location, the code recorded should reflect the location at which the primary incident or allegation type occurred.

Where a missed diagnosis was the main, dominant or primary cause giving rise to a medical indemnity claim, the code recorded should be the remoteness category of the place where the diagnosis should have been made, but was not, for example the general practitioner's surgery.