Campaigns
Medicare items for longer initial and review consultations
Currently there is provision for longer consultations for both geriatric and psychiatric assessment. However, there are other situations where patients require significantly longer consultations than currently available under items 132 and 133. The AACP is reviewing a proposal in relation to introducing new items for prolonged consultation and review consultations for complex patients with chronic diseases requiring coordination and management.
Geriatric Assessment Items
There has been further correspondence with the Department of Health and Ageing about expanded access to the geriatric assessment items for those consultant physicians who provided the assessment services, particularly for rural patients. Consideration of these matters continues.
Allied Health Services
The AACP is having ongoing discussion with the Department of Health and Ageing in relation to the anomaly whereby patients are not eligible for MBS reimbursement for allied health services following attendance for consultation or review under MBS Items 132 and 133 (although patients are eligible for benefits after MBS Items 110 and 116).
Telemedicine
There has been considerable interest in the development of items for Telemedicine, with the ongoing development of a further discussion paper to be circulated in the near future.
Medical Climate Change
The release of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission's and National Primary Health Care Strategy's reports have indicated there are changes expected in the Australian health care scene.
However, there has been little mention of the role of consultant physicians and paediatricians. Scant reference in the review reports to public health issues, geriatric patients and palliative care services does not provide recognition of the role of consultant physicians and paediatricians in Australian health care – either in hospitals or ambulatory care medicine.
The role of general practitioners in preventative and primary health care is the focus of the current papers. However, with the increasing complexity of patient care and the management of patients with chronic diseases, together with the ageing of the population, there is a continuing need to emphasise the role and importance of collaborative care with specialist paediatricians and consultant physicians.
The AACP will continue to represent the interest of our members during the consultative processes undertaken by the Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd, and the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Nicola Roxon.