Happy Friday!
Well, it’s nearly here. Not the weekend, although its arrival will be most welcome, but our National Conference. I look forward to welcoming those of you attending AMA26 in Melbourne on 28 and 29 August and participating in what is always an enjoyable 48 hours of catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, discussing the opportunities and challenges facing us, and hearing about what’s happening across the profession and the country.
It’s not quite conference time yet though, and this past week has been largely business as usual for me. That business included meeting with the Health Minister’s office to discuss a number of hot topics that will not be new to you or the Minister’s ears.
The importance and value of the central role GPs play in healthcare in communities across Australia featured heavily. I highlighted the opportunities available through optimising MyMedicare to really remind people that their usual GP should be their first port of call for the majority of health matters and concerns they may have.
Aligned with that, I reiterated the need for UCCs to be positioned as complementary to GP care, rather than as a replacement.
I also had further discussions with the department regarding pharmacy prescribing, taking the opportunity, while consultation by the Pharmacy Board continues, to again highlight the potential risks posed to patient safety. The need for patient safety to be placed far above the needs of the pharmacy sector on this matter is a cause the AMA will not rest on.
Later in the week, I participated in a consultation forum with the Department of Health’s Medicare integrity division about updates to compliance. While we of course agree that Medicare compliance is important, and that compliance activity must be proportional to any error or misuse, we strongly cautioned that overarching powers need to be carefully considered.
Strong guardrails are needed to protect the profession from regulatory overreach, or administrative burden. Medicare is complex and targeted provider education often lacking. We will continue to push for measured and preventative approaches.
I met with Dietitians Australia on Thursday to look at how we can work together and better understand each other’s roles to best support patients. There is huge scope for us as doctors to be working collaboratively with dietitians, particularly with the growing focus on weight management and changes to GP chronic condition plans.
We also published our position statement on the principles for supporting financial sustainability of specialist medical trainees . In it, we recognise the critically important role specialist medical colleges play in developing Australia’s medical workforce. At the same time, we hear and acknowledge concerns from doctors in training that the cost of specialist training can cause significant financial stress. Our position statement calls on specialist medical colleges to make fees more transparent, predictable and fair.
A huge thank you must go to Dr Sanjay Hettige for his leadership of our Council of Doctors in Training over the past two years – his relentless focus on workforce sustainability will benefit not just today’s DITs, but the profession as a whole for years to come.
Right, I’m off to have another look at my AMA26 address and get my bags packed! I look forward to seeing many of you there next week.
Have a great weekend.
