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AMA’s Achievements & Wins
Policy Submissions
AMA Victoria regularly submits policy recommendations. You can view the latest list of policy submissions here.
AMA President secures exemption to privacy laws
The AMA has called for privacy laws to be permanently changed so doctors can record patient family medical histories without the threat of being prosecuted. Under current Australian law it is illegal to store private information about a third party without their consent, but doctors have had a rolling exemption when it comes to crucial details concerning their patients included in family histories. The latest exemption expired in December after five years and was reinstated for another five following a request from AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton.
Primary Health and Aged Care – improving Medicare rebates
The report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Primary Health and Aged Care, released in December, explicitly endorsed the views contained in AMA Victoria’s submission including our concerns about imposing additional administrative burdens on general practices.
Importantly, in direct response to our submission, the Committee recommended that the Victorian Government make representations to the Commonwealth Government to encourage it to review the Medicare rebate for medical services provided by GPs visiting residential aged care facilities to ensure that it covers the cost of providing the service.
This is a very encouraging endorsement and will support our lobbying to ensure that GPs are fairly remunerated for their time.
AMA Victoria addresses hospital violence
AMA Victoria's efforts to address the unacceptably high rates of assault and verbal abuse occuring in Victorian public hospitals are well recognised in the report on Violence and Security in Hospitals tabled in Parliament last week. The report draws heavily on evidence given by AMA Victoria Vice President, Dr Stephen Parnis, as well as AMA Victoria's comprehensive written submission to the Inquiry. The Committee endorsed our proposals and recommended them to Government for implementation. Importantly, the Commitee also agreed with our objections to employing armed security officers in EDs.
Mandatory alcohol warning labels - getting closer
After strong lobbying campaigns by state and federal AMAs, the Australian Health Ministers last week agreed that warnings about drinking alcohol during pregnancy should be mandated: this is a significant step towards reducing the harms associated with alcohol abuse including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Ministers will make the warning labels a formal requirement after first giving industry the chance to introduce them voluntarily over the next two years.
AMA Victoria's submission to the state government on its alcohol and drug policy called for warning messages on the risk of consuming alcohol while pregnant to be required on individual containers of alcoholic beverages and at the point of sale for unpackaged alcoholic beverages.
COAG & the National Health Reform Agreement – Extra funding, beds
The final National Reform Agreement was announced on 2 August 2011, and is worth an estimated $175 billion to the states in extra funding up to 2030. After a protracted negotiation process, Victoria came away with a share of approximately $44 billion. The Agreement draws on the Victorian health service framework, including activity-based funding and local hospital governance arrangements.
Under the agreement, the Victorian Government will retain ultimate control over its hospitals; the National Health Performance Authority will have to consult with States before publicly naming under-performing hospitals, and the States will have control over the formation of Local Hospital Networks.
The deal also means that the sustained decline in the federal share of funding over the past two decades will be reversed; this means more money, more beds, and more services.
800 new beds – State budget and election commitments
AMA Victoria called for a significant increase in bed numbers during the election, and the Coalition responded by committing to provide 800 new beds in its first term. The State budget 2011-12 allocated funds to a range of hospitals to meet this commitment.
The Government is also making good on its promise to improve transparency in the health system – an issue on which AMA Victoria has continually lobbied. The Government has committed to publish the hidden outpatient waiting list and to audit the working hours of doctors and nurses in hospitals.
The Government has also now launched a new website showing which hospital EDs are on bypass at any time, and which have activated the Hospital Early Warning System. Doctors and patients can now see how long they can expect to wait for emergency department treatment in each hospital at different times of the day.
Care Coordinators
The Victorian Government is currently developing a patient treatment coordinator scheme which is based on the AMA Victoria care coordinator model – our alternative to Medicare Locals. We are working with the Government to develop a pilot of this scheme.
AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley has actively opposed the roll-out of Medicare Locals and we have contacted all of our GP members to highlight our concerns for existing GP Networks that are voting to transition to a Medicare Local. These included the limited representation of GPs on each Board, concern over what happens to existing GP Network funds, and concerns over the Medicare Locals’ roles and responsibilities.
We will continue to publicly oppose the roll-out of Medicare Locals, and work to minimise the additional layers of bureaucracy brought about by their implementation.
War on Red Tape
We have had a significant ‘win’ in our war on red tape. The state Department of Health will shortly commence use of online ‘SmartForm’ versions for a set of application and notification forms most commonly used by medical practitioners and pharmacists.
This initiative comes in response to continued lobbying by AMA Victoria and our collaboration with Small Business Victoria. Most recently, we have raised concerns directly with the Minister for Health around lodging permits for Schedule 8 drugs, and handwritten prescriptions.
Members are urged to share their views on how red tape in medical practices may be minimised via our War on Red Tape Blog.
Health Plan 2022
The Government is continuing to work on this election promise. The Metropolitan Plan has been released, and the Rural and Regional, and Capital Resources Plans will follow over coming months.
As a member of the Ministerial Advisory Council, Dr Harry Hemley has provided direct input into the Plans, and AMA Victoria representatives have been involved in various consultation forums to assist with the development of each Plan.
Nurse Prescribing
Although nurse practitioners can now provide Medicare-funded services to patients and prescribe medications listed on the PBS, in order for them to do so, they must work in collaborative arrangements with medical practitioners. The AMA was instrumental in achieving this legislative requirement.
Victoria is still one of the only states left in Australia without a nurse practitioner clinic.
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