The federal AMA welcomes the commitment from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Matt Keogh, made during a speech yesterday to update its fee schedule for report writing by doctors.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said doctors, and the reports they prepare for veterans, play a critical role in supporting veterans to access Department of Veterans’ Affairs funded healthcare and compensation arrangements.
In a speech yesterday, Minister Keogh said the government will ensure payments for reports are more consistent with other equivalent jurisdictions and better reflect actual costs to practitioners.
“This represents a much-needed commitment with the fees offered by DVA being significantly out of date,” Dr McMullen said.
“This is something the federal AMA has raised directly in meetings with the DVA Secretary and members of its leadership team this year.
“Veterans often present with very complex care needs and an assessment undertaken by a doctor will require evaluation of multiple health conditions. The department’s current system does not sufficiently acknowledge the time, effort, and paperwork involved in this work.”
Dr McMullen said the federal AMA would work with DVA to ensure any new fee arrangements are fair and support veterans in accessing the care they deserve.
“We were also pleased to see the minister encourage veterans to work with their usual treating GPs on medical reports for DVA. A veteran’s usual GP will know their history and is well placed to prepare this type of documentation.”
The federal AMA would continue to raise concerns over the level of funding provided by DVA for medical services to veterans, Dr McMullen said.
“While we welcome the commitment made yesterday, the DVA fee schedule for medical services has been significantly eroded by inadequate indexation over many years, including an extended freeze under former governments,” she said.
“We are seeing more doctors no longer able to accept DVA fees when treating veterans and this is having a real impact on access to care for these veterans. There has been a longstanding commitment from governments to ensure that veterans can access high-quality care in a timely fashion, and it is time for DVA fees for medical services to reflect that commitment.”
