AMA (WA) survey reveals depth of concern for General Practice
AMA(WA)’s Survey of the Month for November focused on General Practice, in particular seeking clarification regarding the National Primary Healthcare Strategy, views on the Federal Government’s Medicare rebate, bulk billing practice, what support there would be for campaigns to support General Practice as Best Practice and the rights of patients to access the GP of their choice.
While there is still time for doctors to respond to the survey, preliminary results have demonstrated the following:
- 85% believe that the Federal Government’s Medicare rebate for GP services is inadequate
- 85% believe that the Federal Government will never adequately cover the total cost of GP services
- 85% believe that fee for service should remain the cornerstone of private General Practice
- 96% would support a campaign to explain to patients the inadequacy of their Medicare Rebate
- 89% would support a general campaign to support General Practice as Best Practice and patients rights to access the GP of their choice
With respect to the National Primary Health Care Strategy, there appears to be a need for further information and clarification to be provided.
However, it was noted that 74% felt that the strategy did not support General Practice continuing in the role as the hub of primary health care services; 89% felt that the strategy undermined the viability of General Practice and encouraged fragmentary care.
93% supported the view that access, quality of care and clinical governance are critical for positioning General Practice as the hub of primary health care.
Comments reflective of responses included that the National Primary Healthcare Strategy was a “collection of motherhood statements with a strong underlying agenda of increasing control and pushing GP towards fixed protocols of mediocrity”
Another respondent said of the NPHS: “Doesn't seem to have a grasp of the real situation and is setting the scene for a disintegration of primary care. It looks destined that some remote electronic databank will be the only linking factor between disparate health providers.”
When asked about what other issues should be addressed to improve and enhance General Practice viability, the following comment encapsulated the majority view:
“The challenge is to attract well qualified and motivated doctors into General Practice. Instead we see first planned replacement with less well qualified ancillary medical staff, second the dumbing down of medicine into filling out futile pieces of paperwork such as TCAs. All it needs now is an incentive scheme such as BP control and HbA1C to make sure that GPs spend more time gaming the system on these patients rather than work at relieving the distress of some of the terribly complex patients the cost of whose care is scarcely reimbursed by the dismally poor returns on a 36 or 44 consult.”
AMA(WA) President Prof Gary Geelhoed said the survey response was an indication of the growing concern amongst GPs over the many changes being forced on doctors without any proper consultation or understanding of primary health care issues.
