AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen provides members with an update from the national AMA.
Hello, and happy Friday!
It's been another hectic week in healthcare, both here at the national AMA and of course more broadly with the events surrounding hospital operator Healthscope.
Your AMA Federal Council met last weekend and there was plenty of robust discussion and a deep dive into the AMA's federal election strategy. As you'll remember from updates throughout the campaign, we had a planned campaign approach targeting the voting public and encouraging them to keep health on the agenda. We definitely achieved that, with health being the prime issue this election, and we secured a number of wins.
The five pillars of our advocacy continue to be General Practice, Private Health, Public Hospitals, a Health System for All and a Health System for the Future. Now that the election is over, we will continue to advocate to the federal government and the Health Minister to deliver on their healthcare promises, and also to push for further reforms that will benefit our members and patients. If you'd like a refresher on what guides us, our Vision For Australia's Health: At a Glance is a great resource.
With AMA25 coming up in Adelaide August 1-3 , Federal Council prioritised the policy motions suggested by members for debate (thank you to everyone who contributed!). We've narrowed them down to four really interesting policy motions, and I can't wait to see you there!
The big health news this week is of course the ongoing issues plaguing Healthscope, which have resulted in it entering voluntary receivership. While this has been stressful for patients and doctors alike, the reassurances of ongoing operation are welcome, given an alternative could have been widespread closures. The receivers, lenders and the government all appear to be focused, as we are, on maintaining continuity of service through the sale process.
We've been working behind the scenes at the AMA for months to try to ensure this focus on patient care. I wrote to Health Minister Mark Butler just last week urging the federal government to take a stronger role. Sudden closures of private hospitals would put our public hospital system under unmanageable pressure.
I know this remains an anxious time, particularly for those of you working in Healthscope hospitals, or in areas where a Healthscope hospital is the only private option. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and update you as news comes to hand.
Also late last week, there was the announcement that the government's long-promised chronic disease management (CDM) item changes will be coming into effect on 1 July . This means many more patients will be eligible for care plans and allied health care. It also means we can all wave goodbye to those signed forms acknowledging team care - I'm sure GPs and non-GPs alike will be pleased to see the back of that process! I do recognise that some members have concerns over the rebate changes, short lead time and associated impacts on your practice. I will ensure the department hears your concerns and that we push for robust monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of the changes. Supporting continuity of care and complex care in general practice is essential.
Lastly, we held our AGM last night, and I am pleased to report members resoundingly voted to support changes to the AMA Constitution, to allow the introduction of independent board members, and to introduce a handover period between presidents for continuity. We are very pleased with this result, as it shows overwhelming support for our strategic agenda and the direction set by the Federal AMA Board and leadership team. Thank you to all members who participated in this important process.
