Australian Medical Association

Establishment of the Healthcare Identifier Service was agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments in 2006 as part of the national approach towards accelerating work on electronic health records to improve the safety of patients and improve efficiency for healthcare providers.

In July 2009, the Department of Health and Ageing released a discussion paper on legislative proposals to support the establishment and implementation of unique identifiers for healthcare purposes and the privacy of health information.

The AMA submission on the discussion paper is supported by the AMA Position Statement on Unique Healthcare Identifiers in 2008.

The AMA submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee inquiry into the Health Insurance Amendment (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Bill 2009 highlighted:

• the Bill provides a framework for the Government to systematically withdraw its funding of the Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN);
• the shortcomings of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation Extended Medicare safety net review report 2009 upon which the Government’s decisions to cap certain services were based;
• the absence of Government consultation with the medical profession to determine the real impact on patients.

• that the Minister be required to consult with the relevant medical groups about their fee structures and any proposal to introduce and/or change a EMSN cap before making future determinations to impose EMSN caps on particular medical services;
• that the Government be required to commission an independent evaluation of the impact of this measure and the associated determination containing the 2009-10 Budget caps by 1 January 2012, and for the evaluation to be tabled in Parliament as soon as it is completed.

MJA Media Release - An open letter to the Health Minister from an outback GP

An Alice Springs doctor has urged the Federal Government to overhaul Medicare to remove disincentives for General Practitioners to conduct longer consultations with patients.
An open letter from Dr Susan Wearne to the Federal Minister for Health, the Hon. Nicola Roxon MP, is published in this year’s General Practice edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Dr Wearne said Medicare effectively discourages GPs from spending the time with patients needed to obtain comprehensive histories and carry out thorough examinations.

The AMA has provided a submission to the Commission, highlighting the impact of Government regulation, guidelines and rules on the operation of medical practices. The AMA submission argues that medical practices are burdened with unnecessary red tape, particularly as a result of deliberate efforts by Governments to ration the number of services that patients can access and thus contain health costs.

AMA Position Statement: Unique Healthcare Identifiers - 2008

AMA Position Statement: Ethical Considerations for Medical Practitioners in Public Health Emergencies in Australia - 2008

This submission is in response to the ACSQHC July 2007 discussion paper on the National Quality and Safety Accreditation Standards Review which calls for an alternative model and recommends high level strategic reforms together with modest operational reforms. The AMA does not support the direction of the ACSQHC paper, but advocates a single fully resourced and minimally invasive system of safety and accreditation.

AMA Position Statement: The Role of the Medical Practitioner in Advance Care Planning - 2006

The AMA outlines its concerns about the consequences of the sale of Medibank Private.

Many doctors are engaged on individual contracts in private medical practice, including part-time and locum arrangements. There are benefits for both the parties to employment or independent contracts in having their respective rights and obligations clearly understood and well documented. This enhances the working relationship and helps to prevent unnecessary disputes. The complexity of the law and issues involved in employment and contracts are such that neither negotiating party may have adequate information to strike a reasonable deal that meets their obligations and protects their interests. Many of the problems that arise could be avoided if parties to medical service contracts were aware of the key issues in drawing up contracts. These guidelines are designed to serve the interests of both parties to medical service contracts. In an environment free of state or federal award regulation it is desirable for individual doctors to seek independent legal or accounting advice on their contracts.