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COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT (COAG) – OUTCOMES OF MEETING OF 21 MARCH 2008
The AMA has welcomed the Australian Government’s commitment to allocate an extra $1 billion to public hospitals. The funding is made up of the indexation of the previous Commonwealth allocation for 2007-08 plus a further $500 million in additional new money. AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said that this would help address the funding shortfall from the Commonwealth in recent years and provide a boost to the over-stressed public hospital system. The AMA has welcomed other announcements by COAG, including:
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special consideration for the maintenance of small and regional hospitals, reflecting community service obligations,
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commitment to closing the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians, and
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the new ministerial conference on ageing.
The AMA will be expecting appropriate commitments from the states.
The AMA is concerned with the lack of detail in the COAG announcement on the national registration and accreditation model. Dr Capolingua said that the Government must immediately make public the inter-government agreement so that exactly what is proposed in the national registration model can be seen. Until the detail becomes available, the AMA will continue to oppose to the proposed model.
Overall, the AMA believes that the COAG announcement presents a more considered overarching approach to health policy, but is let down by the failure of governments to properly consult over the national registration proposals.
PRIVACY GUIDELINES FOR MEDICARE AND PBS CLAIMS INFORMATION
The guidelines covering the handling of claims information collected under the Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Program were revised recently. Click here for a copy of the revised guidelines.
RACGP RESEARCH FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANT ROUND 2008 – A REMINDER TO APPLY
The RACGP Research Foundation is offering 12 grants to RACGP members. Applications close on 14 April 2008. Click here to download an application form or for further information on available grants.
PRACTITIONER REVIEW PROGRAM (PRP) – THE AMA SEEKS YOUR FEEDBACK
The AMA seeks to ensure that review processes such as the PRP are conducted appropriately. We are interested in hearing from GPs who have been reviewed under the PRP. If you would like to provide any feedback about your experience of the PRP please email us at generalpractice@ama.com.au
FUTURE GPS MEET IN CANBERRA
The Breathing NEWLIFE into General Practice Summit, co-hosted by the General Practice Students Network and the General Practice Registrars’ Association, was held last week at Parliament House in Canberra. Keynote speakers at the summit included AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, AMACGP Chair Dr Rod Pearce, the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Ms Nicola Roxon, the Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing, Mr Joe Hockey, Greens leader Dr Bob Brown, and past/present AMSA Presidents, Rob Mitchell and Michael Bonning.
EMAIL YOUR FEEDBACK ON GP ISSUES TO US
The AMA has an easy to remember email address for GPs to provide us with feedback on various GP issues and information on particular developments at your local level. The address is generalpractice@ama.com.au