ProfessorKees van Gool

Project Opportunities

Title: Valuing Virtual Care: Economic Evidence to Support Equitable and Sustainable Health System Investment

Summary of opportunity:

Are you passionate about transforming health care for the future? Join a collaborative research project between the University of Sydney and the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA).

This is a unique opportunity to conduct policy-relevant, high-impact research at the intersection of health economics, digital innovation, and health system reform. The successful candidate will gain hands-on experience working alongside leading academic researchers and senior policymakers while making a tangible contribution to shaping the future of virtual care in Australia.

Opportunity synopsis:

Virtual health care has the potential to revolutionise health care delivery—offering patients greater access, reducing pressure on hospitals, cutting travel costs, and contributing to the decarbonisation of the health system. However, despite its potential, virtual care remains underutilised in Australia due to fragmented funding models that fail to capture its true value.

The objectives of the project are:

• Build the economic evidence for optimal use of virtual care across settings such as primary, emergency, acute, aged care and sub-acute settings.
• Develop valuation and cost models incorporating factors such as efficiency, access, equity, workforce impact, environmental outcomes, and patient preferences.
• Provide actionable policy recommendations to inform the design of future funding mechanisms that reward the full value of virtual care.

The expected outcomes:

• A suite of models and tools to support prioritisation of virtual care investments.
• Academic publications and policy briefs targeted at national and state decision-makers.
• Contribution to broader efforts toward a sustainable, equitable, and digitally enabled health system.

----------Current Research Projects----------

• NHMRC Centre on Research Excellence Value Based Payments in Cancer Care.
• The International Collaboration on Costs, Outcomes and Needs in Care (ICCONIC).
• NHMRC Centre on Research Excelence on Medicines Intelligence.