Dr. Rhonda Kerr
B.A. Econs (Australian National University) Ph.D. Public Health (Curtin University of Technology, WA) GAICD.
Dr Kerr was promoted to Executive Director Economics and Health Service Planning during April 2023 following her work in translating guidelines into the capital required for effective clinical spaces. Dr Kerr previously worked as a GENI Director from 2016 to 2023, where she also made substantial contributions to GENI research translation workshops at the Australasian College of Health Services Management (ACHSM)/Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS) Asia Pacific leadership Congresses.
Evaluating healthcare, particularly hospital services, for effectiveness has directed Rhonda’s focus to the role of capital investment in healthcare. With over 35 years and 42 hospital projects in health service planning and health facility design, Dr Kerr has found a link between the frequency of investment in health services and clinical effectiveness. Rhonda has held senior roles with Australian Federal and state Governments, national architecture practices, and advised public and private health services throughout Australasia and Asia.
Rhonda redefined the purpose of investment in hospitals to values by focussing on hospital performance, access, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency. Linking clinical guidelines and values with Australian hospital performance standards in her doctoral studies, she identified the strong relationship between operational costs and patient outcomes with capital investment.
As Professor John Deeble identified, hospital investment is primarily for asset replacement. However, if the purpose of investment in hospitals is ‘’to fund patient access to appropriate care in effective and efficient hospitals’’, new metrics of value to patients can be assessed. By changing the focus from assets to patients and clinical effectiveness as the primary work of a hospital, appropriate investment in medical equipment, information and communications technologies and systems, and suitable facilities can be made. Her microeconomic analysis of Diagnosis Related Groups, reflecting 36% of Australian public patients, found effective investment based on clinical guidelines enhanced patient outcomes, and reduced operational costs for surgical patients. To provide access to appropriate care investment in hospital, capacity needs to be both dynamic and responsive to emerging challenges.
Taking a patient outcomes-based approach based on clinical effectiveness, Rhonda has evaluated operating cost and investment costs for wound care at a state and national level and also for stroke and new evidence-based stroke rehabilitation models.
Rhonda has published her research and presented her findings at 25 national and international conferences. She has also contributed to Federal Parliament Senate Inquires on health reforms in Australia and was referenced in the interim reports of both the Productivity Commission Review of private and public hospitals and the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. More recently she has contributed to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Review.