Number of surgeries are reported for patients whose reason for removal was:

• For surgical specialty and indicator procedures:

1. Admitted as an elective patient for awaited procedure by or on behalf of this hospital or the state/territory.

• For urgency categories:

1. Admitted as an elective patient for awaited procedure by or on behalf of this hospital or the state/territory or

2. admitted as emergency patient for awaited procedure by or on behalf of this hospital or the state/territory.

Reporting excludes people who were transferred to another hospital’s elective surgery waiting list, were treated elsewhere but not on behalf of the hospital, were not contactable, died prior to receiving their surgery or declined surgery.

For the purposes of reporting, patients are reported as the final urgency category they were when treated.

Hospital, elective surgery clinical urgency category, selected surgical specialities, and indicator procedures.

There are inconsistencies in application of urgency categories between and within states and territories which impact on the comparability of results.