Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon today announced the successful transfer of all Defence health services from Defence to Medibank Health Solutions. 

The Government, in conjunction with Defence and Medibank Health Solutions, is committed to providing Australian Defence Force members with a world class and high quality health system.   

In June 2012, Defence signed a $1.3 billion contract with Medibank Health Solutions to provide health care services to the Australian Defence Force.   

This contract will deliver a comprehensive suite of five health services to Australian Defence Force personnel.  

Four of these services were transferred to Medibank Health Solutions late last year: 

• Pathology services, via a national provider network, which was transitioned in September last year;
• Imaging and radiology services, also through a national provider network, which was also transitioned in September last year;
• A Health Hotline Service, delivered through Medibank Health Solutions’ world class tele-health hotline service, which was transitioned in October last year; and
• On-base services, delivered through a national contracted health professional workforce, which was transitioned in November last year. 

Today, the successful transfer of the fifth service, off-base services provided through a national network of specialist and allied health care providers, sees the full suite of off-base specialist, allied and diagnostic health services available. 

Medibank Health Solutions continues working to expand its network of providers and is signing up new providers daily.  It has currently signed on more than 3,500 medical specialists, more than 7,200 allied health professionals and 210 hospitals nationally.

Since the transition of health services to Medibank Health Solutions commenced on 29 October 2012:

•                  16,000 appointments for specialist services have been processed;
•                  17,000 imaging and radiology procedures have been undertaken;
•                  70,000 pathology tests have been conducted;
•                  60,000 on-base contracted health professional services have been provided, and
•                  more than 4,500 calls have been answered by the MHS national health hotline service.

(Figures correct as at 31 January 2013)