The AMA has formally responded to the Allied Health Reference Group (AHRG) Report, saying MBS Review Taskforce recommendations to the Government should be focussed on ensuring the centrality of GP care.
The continuity and coordination of patient care should be strengthened and well supported, the submission states.
The AMA is supportive of enhanced access to allied health services (AHS), preferably within a medical home model of care and where they align with best practice.
In its submission, the AMA has supported:
- the introduction of a comprehensive assessment item for when the allied health professional first sees the patient;
- stratified access to AHS based on the complexity of care requirements;
- enhanced access to group therapy within the M10 treatment items;
- gaining an improved understanding of the benefits of allied health group sessions, enhancing GP referral for pervasive development disorders to facilitate more timely access to diagnosis and treatment, improved access to allied health via telehealth;
- exploring alternate funding models to best fund integrated health care; and
- enhanced communication between patients and their health care team.
"A number of the recommendations of AHRG were specific to what is considered an emerging and complex cohort of patients for whom there are significant barriers to equitable and timely care," the AMA submission states.
"In responding to these more targeted recommendations, the AMA has put a priority on early identification and intervention."
The AMA has supported increasing the number of assessment items for children, adolescents and adults up to age 25 with a potential Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Complex, Neurodevelopmental Disorder (CND) or eligible disability diagnose up from four to eight with review by referring practitioner after the first four.
However, the AMA was not supportive of enabling interdisciplinary referrals between AHPs, believing that access to assessments should be coordinated by a central member of the patient's health care team - ideally the GP.
The AMA was also not supportive of incentivising AHPs to provide group sessions for chronic disease management. It makes more sense to support general practices to co-ordinate and organise group sessions in consultation with the AHPs who either work within the practice or with who the practice has a working relationship.
On expanding the AHPs recognised under the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the AMA considered that funding mechanisms outside of the Medicare Benefits Schedule might be more appropriate. This included for orthotists, prosthetists and non-dispensing pharmacists.
Access to orthotic and prosthetic services not so much a lack of services subsidised by the MBS but an underfunding of public hospital orthotic and prosthetic services across Australia.
Regarding non-dispensing pharmacists, these services should be funded as part of an additional overarching payment to practices participating in the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP). Specific items would be limiting in terms of the breadth and number of services that could be provided to the patient.
CHRIS JOHNSON and MICHELLE GRYBAITIS
The AMA Submission can be found at:
https://ama.com.au/submission/ama-submission-response-allied-health-reference-group-report-0
The AHRG Report can be found at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/58EFEA022C2B7C49CA2583960083C4EA/$File/AHRG-Final-Report.pdf
