MELBOURNE, 18 April 2022: As Labor leader, Antony Albanese continues to rattle the Coalition for expected Medicare cuts, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has launched its ‘modernise medicare’ plan to expand GP facilities. Calling on political parties to commit to creating a “Modern Medicare”, to address the urgent need for reform and investment in Australia’s general practices. The AMA’s “Modern Medicare” plan has been costed.
“GPs are the heart of our healthcare system. We need to invest in modernising general practice to keep Australians well and out of hospitals.” says Dr Omar Khorshid Federal AMA President.
Dr Omar Khorshid said it was time the Government recognised the pressure Australia’s GPs were under to keep healthcare affordable and accessible, with Medicare funding arrangements now out of date – made worse by inadequate indexation of the Medicare rebate and a previous Medicare freeze.
“Doctors working in general practice have been forced time and time again to wear the brunt of these real cuts to Medicare,” Dr Khorshid said.
“GPs have not received the support they deserve or need from successive Governments. The health care needs of patients have become much more complex as the population has aged yet Medicare is stuck in the 1980s. We need serious reform to put general practice on a more sustainable footing, capable of delivering the type of care that many patients now need,” he said.
Dr Khorshid said the AMA’s plan for a Modern Medicare would improve health care at a primary care level for Australians.
He said a Modern Medicare would make general practice sustainable and was focused around three key themes – “more care,” “more time” and “more health,” with each theme comprising specific, costed policies to:
Introduce the medical home model to bolster coordinated, patient centred care, encouraging patients to register with a ‘medical home/clinic’ to have continuity of care and allied health care under one roof.
Increase the time available to patients to spend with their GP to address complex healthcare concerns.
Encourage the provision of more GP services into after-hours.
Expand the number of nurse and allied health services available in general practices/medical homes.
Bolster the GP care provided to aged care residents.
Create a wound consumables scheme, saving patients time and money.
Evolve our GP training program to make general practice more appealing to the next generation of doctors
Dr Khorshid said GPs provided all the care needed for around 90 percent of problems patients have and referred to other specialists and healthcare practitioners where needed.
“GPs provide care from birth to death, and everything in between – physical and mental. They provide high quality care which is cost effective and save significant downstream costs in our health system by helping to keep people healthy and out of hospital.
“The Government’s long-awaited Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan, combined with the promised $448.5 million investment to support reform was to change that – but all the last Budget delivered was a grand vision with no funding,” Dr Khorshid said.
“This plan highlights the need for change and the investment which is required to build a primary care system for the future,” said AMA Vice-President and GP Dr Chris Moy.
Technology has advanced – we have new treatments, personalised medicine, hospital-in-the-home, telehealth, and remote monitoring.”
“Our healthcare needs have also changed. We are an older society, with more chronic diseases and more complex healthcare requirements. Now more than ever, patients need to be able to spend time with their GP to ensure their health conditions are properly assessed and treated, says Dr. Chris Moy.
