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Doctors' use of Medicare overwhelmingly honest - 16 January 2012
'The great majority of Medicare claims requiring doctor involvement are handled honestly,' Dr Bruce Shepherd, Chairman of the Australian Doctors' Fund, said in Sydney today. Dr Shepherd was commenting on an article in the MJA by Dr Tony Webber, former and controversial head of the Medicare Professional Services Review (PSR) committee.
Medicare Locals or Managed Care Locals? - 5 October 2011
"Doctors and the Australian public need to be warned that Medicare Locals set the stage for a demedicalised form of US managed care." Dr Stan Doumani, spokesman for the Australian Doctors’ Fund, said in Canberra today. ... "Health bureaucrats are busy demolishing divisions of general practice and replacing them with Medicare Locals with new constitutions imposing a minority role on general practitioners and family doctors," Dr Doumani said.
GPs do not need more bureaucracy - 26 September 2011
"Most General Practitioners do not believe Medicare Locals will be of any value," spokesman for the Australian Doctors' Fund, Dr Aniello Iannuzzi, said in Coonabarabran, NSW today. ... Dr Iannuzzi said, "Australian GPs are coping very well with the challenges of primary healthcare, seeing a record number of patients, including many with multiple conditions."
ADF says Senior Doctors proposal should lower registration fees, not increase them - 15 August 2011
"There is nothing in our Senior Active Doctor's proposal that would give any reason for the Board to increase registration fees. The Board appears to be saying that the only objection to our proposal is the cost of its implementation", Dr Doumani said. ... The Senior Active Doctors category is not designed for doctors who want to continue in full time practice. Having senior doctors continue to stay on the register and pay a reasonable registration fee of $100 per annum, instead of walking away from their profession and paying nothing, can only add to registration fee income.
Doctors Back Proposal for New Registration Category for Senior Doctors - 08 August 2011
"A meeting of doctors at St George Leagues Club on Sunday 7 August, sponsored by the Australian Doctors' Fund, has voted 164 for and 2 against to support the creation of a new optional category of registration for doctors over 55 years of age, to encourage them to stay involved in their profession."
Health Bureaucrats Enforce Language Change Cultural War Against Medical Profession Continues - 08 April 2011
"Enforced language change in legislation has been exposed by the Senate Community Affairs Committee inquiring into the Health and Hospitals Legislation," Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund, Mr Stephen Milgate said in Sydney today. ... "Mr Broadhead - No, my understanding of the word 'clinician' in common understanding is that it is anybody who lays hands on the patient, so to speak - although they do not literally have to do that!"
"Precise understandings of terminology are critically important for the safety of patients."
Medicare Locals / Fund Holding = Rationing - 24 March 2011.
"Confirmation by Prime Minister Gillard that Medicare Locals will become fund holding organisations should be a warning to doctors to avoid involvement", Dr Stan Doumani, general practitioner and spokesman for the Australian Doctors' Fund said in Canberra today. ... The Prime Minister has stated publicly, "I also want to make sure Medicare Locals over time become fund holding organisations so they've got the ability to get service gaps in the local community filled, so if there isn't enough of a particular service available Medicare Locals can make a difference to that". ... "Contrary to popular perception, fund holding is a disguised form of rationing health care", Dr Doumani said. When the funds run out, or they are not sufficient to meet growing demand then we start to see waiting lists for treatment and frustrated patients. This will become more acute if patients are directed away from local hospitals to a nonexistent or insufficient fund which is supposed to provide for their care.
Senior Doctors Should Be Valued, Not Discarded - 24 March 2011.
"Reports of demand pressures on General Practitioners should give impetus to reform of the registration categories for doctors in their later years of practice", Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund, Stephen Milgate, said in Sydney today. ... The ADF has proposed a new category of 'Senior Active' medical practitioner to encourage doctors to continue to contribute in their senior years. This category would be made available but not be made compulsory to doctors over 55 years old who want to scale down their medical practice but still contribute. ... "Recent changes in medical registration instituted by the new COAG health bureaucracy known as AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) have removed step down categories for doctors and created an 'all in' or 'all out' system.".
Doctor's Call For AHPRA To Be Sacked - 24 February 2011.
"The medical profession should no longer allow itself and its medical boards to be "managed" by the Australia Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)," spokesman for the Australian Doctors' Fund, Dr Stan Doumani said in Canberra today. ... Prior to the Rudd Government's decision to place all health professions and occupations under the control of a central bureaucracy known as AHPRA, the medical profession had a functional registration scheme administered by state medical boards with each state and territory health minister being held accountable to their respective parliament.
Prescription Pads For All - Not A Smart Idea - 9 February 2011.
A/Prof Dr Amanda McBride said parliamentarians who, through political pressure, are determined to give everyone who knocks on their door, calling themselves a "clinician" a prescribing pad, should be held accountable for the results. There will be polypharmacy problems, with general practitioners not being aware who has prescribed what medication for what condition when. Patients do not always know why they are taking medication, and may not always understand or explain what else they have been taking.
Baillieu Has Support In Questioning So-Called "Health Reforms" - 2 December 2010.
The Australian Doctors' Fund has strongly advocated that public hospital financing should go direct to the hospital. This could be achieved with a voucher system or equivalent card technology and hence fund patient public hospital costs directly. Episodic payments on a casemix model were pioneered in Victoria by the late Dr John Paterson in an attempt to ensure that hospitals are financed on the basis of productivity and not block grants through the back door which are more easily diverted away from patient care (bureaucratic displacement). Although many believe that a central Canberra health bureaucracy will be more efficient than a state one or combination of both, this is unlikely. The current Federal Government has built massive health bureaucracies which can easily devour states' GST money in the name of "health spending".
New Medical Students Must Be Warned of "Backsides On Seats" Madness - 28 October 2010.
Universities, cheered on by health "workforce experts", have dramatically increased the number of medical schools without ensuring that governments will fund the first postgraduate year, or intern year, which is necessary to complete before being able to practise medicine. In the words of the Editor of the MJA, Dr Martin Van Der Weyden "we are now confronting a tsunami of medical graduates, but with no tangible national action to boost the capacity of our hospital system to absorb them. Someone is responsible for the mess we find ourselves in, and heads should roll within the ranks of our prevaricating and blundering bureaucrats."1 ... There is no doubt that many universities have built a business case around a profitable medical school including the ability to draw on full fee paying medical students. Despite noble aspirations these universities have little if any ability to deliver the hospital internships that enriches a medical student’s education with hands-on clinical experience.
More Hospital Beds Will Help - 5 August 2010.
"Regardless of preventative health programmes and despite the best effort of those of us who work in primary health care, some patients will need to be hospitalised for their medical and surgical conditions." "Australians have always regarded access to hospitals as a very important measure of their health care and general security", Dr Iannuzzi said. According to the 2010 Australia's Health Report, the Australian public hospital system has suffered a loss in beds under State Government stewardship (11% decline from 1997-98 to 2007-08). It is only fitting that this decline be reversed to cope with a growing and ageing population.
NATIONAL HEALTH AGREEMENT DOES NOT SPECIFY % OF GST - 29 April 2010.
"Talk of 30% of GST being committed to health by states who sign up to the Rudd National Health & Hospitals Agreement is not backed up by the details of the Agreement", Mr Stephen Milgate, Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund said in Sydney today.
GST snatch not much to do with healthcare improvement - 15 March 2010
"The recently announced and much trumpeted "healthcare reform” package is a ‘tax–grab’ sandwich with a dab of casemix to give it a health flavour,” Mr Stephen Milgate, Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund said in Sydney today.,
Clinical Councils No Substitute for Hospital Boards - We Need Both - 2 March 2010
NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt’s recent announcement that she intends to establish "Clinical Councils" comprising doctors and nurses to run hospitals is no substitute for inviting talented citizens to govern our public hospitals through the establishment of independent hospital boards.,
Doctors Welcome Hospital Boards - 16 February 2010
The Federal Opposition’s announcement that they intend to introduce hospital boards into NSW and
Qld was welcomed today by the Australian Doctors’ Fund (ADF). "This is simply a common sense reform that will facilitate community support for local public hospitals," spokesman for the ADF, Dr Aniello Iannuzzi, said in Coonabarabran today. Provided the boards are appropriately appointed and have real teeth to deal with local issues, there is no reason why they can’t considerably improve the administration of local hospitals and provide the community with direct ownership of what is essentially a community facility.,
UK E-HEALTH Story Should Be Compulsory Reading - 4 February 2010
Dr Grant Ingrams, co-chair of the BMA and RCGP IT Committee made the following comments on 28
December 2009, "I predict that during 2010 the government will have a ‘Road to Damascus’
experience and finally recognise that a detailed health care record across a whole health economy
will not improve healthcare. Sharing of data electronically can never replace continuity of care with
a doctor or service; nor direct communication between two clinicians regarding a patient’s care"(2). ... There is a continued outcry for British hospitals and doctors to have a greater say in the choice of IT
solutions. The UK Shadow Health Minister, Andrew Lansley has predicted "it is clear that 2010 will be a
year in which we see a fundamental re-evaluation of the implementation of the NHS IT programme."(3),
Doctors Group Backs Call For Independent Hospital Boards - 29 December 2009
"The installation of an independent hospital board to administer a public hospital is not rocket science or revolutionary thinking. Some of Australia's most established public hospitals were built and governed by independent hospital boards before state governments started to replace community representation with health bureaucracy",
Doctors Condemn Coonabarabran Bed Closures - 9 December 2009
Until yesterday, Coonabarabran Hospital had 25 real beds; it is serviced by local GPs who live near the hospital to provide 24/7 emergency and acute services. It's the type of hospital model that should be replicated across NSW, in both urban and rural areas, and not marginalised to make way for office space that already exists on the hospital grounds.
NSW citizens to be governed by QLD and or VIC Parliaments - October 2009
"New legislation if passed in NSW will give other state parliaments governing rights over NSW citizens", Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund, Mr Stephen Milgate said in Sydney today. The legislation is known as Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009. The Bill is also before the QLD Parliament and we understand that it will be introduced into the NSW Parliament either today or tomorrow.
National Health Registration Law Flawed - Should Be Scrapped - July 2009
The Australian Doctors' Fund has called for medical practitioners to be removed from the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Bill B), claiming the Bill is flawed.
Kasper Report Backs Doctors Call For Independent Hospital Boards - February 2009
Recommendations for independent hospital boards contained in the Australian Doctors' Fund report 'Towards a more Positive Future for Australian Public Hospitals' (www.adf.com.au) have been endorsed by the recently released Kasper Report funded by the Centre of Independent Studies. The report is called 'Radical Surgery' (http://www.cis.org.au)
25th Anniversary of the 1984 Doctor’s Dispute - May 2009
Dr Bruce Shepherd who led the orthopaedic surgeons and other procedural specialists in the 1984 Doctor’s Dispute has released a Public Statement on the anniversary of the dispute. Dr Shepherd is also the founding chairman of ASOS
Doctors Back CIS Report That Recommends Public Hospital Boards Of Management - January 2009
The Australian Doctors’ Fund has endorsed recommendations for public hospital boards contained in an independent report into the NSW public hospital system by Prof Wolfgang Kasper released today by the Centre of Independent Studies. The report is called ‘Radical Surgery’ (http://www.cis.org.au) Executive Director of the Australian Doctors’ Fund, Mr Stephen Milgate said the report contained many of the conclusions our own research had delivered in our ADF report entitled, ‘Towards a more Positive Future for Australian Public Hospitals’ (www.adf.com.au).
Doctors Welcome New Notre Dame Sydney Medical School - July 2008
The Australian medical profession will overwhelmingly welcome the university's commitment to extensive teaching in bio-medical science and its strong emphasis on anatomy and pathology. Doctors will also welcome the involvement of medical practitioners at all levels of teaching and a return to the virtues of the mentoring model of medical education made famous by Cambridge University but out of fashion until revived by Notre Dame Sydney.
Doctors Call For Independent Board To Run Royal North Shore Hospital - September 2007
We must move from a model of State Government ownership and control to a new model, namely government funding with community ownership and control. ... This can be achieved quickly with the appointment of an Independent Board. ... Our senior doctors and nurses must also be invited to sit on this Independent Board in order to re-establish clinical leadership at the highest level. ... The Area Health Board system of management has not delivered a consistent standard of health care in line with the public's reasonable expectations
Why Bring Back 1750 BC? - November 2006
n their recent paper entitled, Making Medicare Better former Australian Health Insurance Association, CEO, Mr Russell Schneider advocates replacing fee for service medicine and the current referral system with the development of healthcare businesses, which aim at treating particular conditions, such as various types of cancer, and pay them on the basis of their results. The paper is endorsed by the past Federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge. .. Taken to its logical conclusion, 'payment by results' (as determined by health funds) would see any doctor or hospital treating a cancer patient who subsequently died, punished through non payment or financial penalty. This would inevitably result in other 'high risk' (by health fund standards) patients having difficulty obtaining affordable medical care. I'm sure no-one would want this.
Obituary: Dr Michael Wertheimer - August 2006
Stop Beating It Mr Beattie
- 2 December 2005
" ... the courageous and accurate reports produced by the inquiries held by Mr Tony Morris and his successor Judge Geoff Davies mean the Beattie Government must face up to reality ... The health system in Queensland, and to a lesser extent in all other states, has become a black hole into which public money is being spent without benefit. Most has been totally wasted. ..."
Patients Not To Blame - Beattie Should Get Off His Diet And His High Horse - 19 August 2005
"... He is not telling us where the billions of dollars going into the Queensland public hospital system end up and how much of the health dollar reaches patients. (Australia taxpayers spend $18 billion per annum on our public hospital system. That's $1000 per person per annum). ..."
QLD Doctors Undervalued - August 2005
" ... The Qld AMA states that Visiting Medical Officers in Qld public hospitals are the worst paid in Australia, and nurses are the second worst paid ..."
Health Oligopsony Not The Answer
- 7 April 2005
"Proposals to establish a layer of taxpayer funded regional health care purchasing organisations who will buy health care from providers and supply it to patients won't deliver important improvements to Australia's health care system, ... this proposal combines the worst aspects of the British National Health Service and US style managed care ..."
Public Statement Concerning The Future of Australian Medical Education - April 2005
"Following due consideration of issues raised by medical practitioners, academics and medical students over the direction of medical education in Australian universities, and following the summit conference entitled "Rescuing Medical Education" held in Sydney on Friday 18th February 2005 (available on www.adf.com.au), the Australian Doctors' Fund calls for:"
She's Right - It Is Stuffed, (But We Must Know Why, And How To Fix It) - 14 April 2005
"The Australian Doctors' Fund today welcomed frank admissions by the SA Minister for Health, Ms Lea Stevens that hospital Medicare "is stuffed" and "a disaster waiting to happen". ... For many years state health ministers of all political persuasions have been apologising and telling official lies (spin) for a hospital system that simply can't deliver what Australians have been promised, namely "unlimited high quality medical care on demand to everyone all paid for by the taxpayer," Executive Director of the Australian Doctors' Fund, Mr Stephen Milgate said in Sydney today. "
OS Doctor Recruitment Warning! - April 2005
"The bottom line is that there are currently several thousand overseas trained doctors practising in the front line of Medicine in Australia who have not been formally assessed as to their qualifications and who are increasingly coming from non-western medical schools where it is very uncertain about the standards and content of the curriculum they have studied."
Rescuing Medical Education - 25 October 2004
"Without a good understanding of human anatomy and solid experience developing the skills needed to perform surgery, mistakes in the operating theatre are more likely to occur"
Doctor's fees must rise in NSW & Qld to cover 10 year medical indemnity levy - 22 August 2003
WA Doctors Not Guilty (ACCC injustice to WA Doctors) - 18 August 2003
ACT Government should implement Judge Ipp's recommendations on Tort Law Reform - 11 August 2003
Bonded Medical School Places Places - 30 July 2003
Wrong Diagnosis Dr Fels - 7 February 2003
IBNR Levy Features - Meeting Package - 27 August 2003
IBNR Rally Number 2 Motions Carried - 24 August 2003
IBNR Rally Number 2 - Speech by Stephen Milgate - 24 August 2003
IBNR Rally 1 - Motions Carried - 20 July 2003
IBNR Rally 1 - Speech by Stephen Milgate - 20 July 2003
IBNR Rally 1 - 27 June 2003
Doctors Welcome ACCC Governance (UHRIG) Inquiry - 17 November 2002
Negligence reforms good news for us patients - 3 September 2002
Ipp Report on negligence - Balanced - 2 September 2002
Governments Must Limit Medical Litigation - 29 April 2002
Doctors and Patients King Hit by 52% Medical Insurance Cost Hike - 12 December 2001
Government Threats To Withdraw Medicare - 14 June 2001
Federal government's "Closing the Gap" campaign blatant electoral advertising - 1 June 2001
Doctors Welcome Federal Government Anti-Drug Campaign - 30 March 2001
No More Bandaids For Private Health Care - 8 March 2001
MBF Must Come Clean On Hospital Cutbacks - 23 Feburary 2001
Competition Chief Involved in Managed Health Care Agenda - 8 November 2000
Radiologists Deserve a Public Apology From Wooldridge - 29 September 2000
Doctors Accuse ACCC of Double Standard - 29 May 2000
Doctors Back CWA Resolution To Resurrect Local Hospital Boards - 26 May 2000
Claims On Rural Doctor Shortage At Odds With Independent Report - 9 May 2000
Major Public Hospital Struggling To Pay Its Electricity Bill - 11 February 2000
Call For An Administrator To Be Appointed To The Bankrupt Nsw Public Hospital System - 11 February 2000
Mr Howard – Are Two Phone Calls Too Much To Ask To Help The Bush Save Its Doctors? - 1 February 2000
Massive Medical Databases Not Protected By Privacy Law - Shepherd - 28 January 2000
Federal Health Privacy Law a Farce - 20 January 2000
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Doctors Say No Negotiation Possible Over "No Gap" Private Health Insurance - 17 December 1999
Response To HIC RE Privacy Of Medicare Data - 8 December 1999
Medical Indemnity Costs Soar - Governments Private health Insurance Agenda Threatened - 25 November 1999
Wooldridge Ignored Concerns over HIC Chairman - 29 October 1999
No Need for Australia to Join International Agreement on Health Care Services - 14 October 1999
Where is the Money for Gap Cover Coming From? asks Shepherd - 13 October 1999
Shepherd Calls for Gaps Insurance to be Deregulated - 8 October 1999
Shepherd Backs Medical Students - 8 July 1999
Health Insurance Commission Chairman in Untenable Position - 5 July 1999
Doctors Welcome Recognition of Young Pioneer Psichiatrist - 28 May 1999
Shepherd Takes on His "Anti Consumer" Critics - 25 May 1999
Dr Shepher Demands a New Deal for Young Doctors - 23 May 1999
Health Fund Policy 'An Unmitigated Disaster' - Shepherd - 20 May 1999
Medicare to be Capped - 20 May 1999
Doctors Should Reject Budget Bribes - 19 May 1999
R.I.P. Royal Hobart Public Hospital - 15 February 1999
Case Management Advocates Redfaced as Cochrane Exposes Flaws - 5 February 1999
Another Nail in the Coffin for Rural General Practice - 28 January 1999
Value Based Medicine - Is There a Future? - 21 January 1999
Senator Lees Suffering Health Policy Amnesia - 10 January 1999
Managed Care Failure Now Official - 7 January 1999
Captain Wooldridge Maintains Course as Health Fund Titanic takes Water - 30 November 1998
Young Doctor Supply Restrictions - A Farce as Nurses Given OK to Practice - 26 August 1998
Swedish View on Drugs Welcome - 23 June 1998
Doctors Call for Tabling of Collocation Contracts Following Prediction of Public Hospital Selloff - 22 May 1998
Wooldridge Gives Thumbs Down to GP Budget Initiative - 14 May 1998
GP Registrars to become Salaried Government Employees - 13 May 1998
MAI Implications on Australian Health Care - 6 April 1998
Doctors Call for Moratorium on Collocation - 19 February 1998
Clinton Joins Campaign Against Managed Health Care - 30 January 1998
Health Privatisation Juggernaut Trips over Auditor General's Report - 6 January 1998
Doctors Warn on Disappearance of Public Hospitals Under Policy of Collocation - 12 December 1997
Patients are People not Product Lines - American Health Culture Arrives in Australia - 12 December 1997
Privacy Minefield Opens up as Prescription Records put up on Database - 13 November 1997
Doctors Say Yes to "Zero Tolerance" Approach - 3 November 1997
Government's Health Insurance Policy Unravelling - 26 August 1997
Doctors Attack National Mutual Health Insurance Policy of Non-Participating Hospitals - 21 August 1997
New Legislation Attempting to Mask Massive Health Insurance Policy Failure - 18 August 1997
Researchers Meeting will Discuss Future Relationship with NSW Cancer Council - 27 May 1997
Squabbling in the Private Health Sector is Government Policy - 22 May 1997
Doctors Ask "What Happened to Previous Drug Reforms?" - 21 May 1997
Advocates of US Managed Health Care Solutions for Australia Embarrassed by US Health Costs Explosion - 4 April 1997
Doctors Demand Answers on US Hospital Group - 3 April 1997
Doctors Call on Health Minister to deny US Health Care Agenda - 30 January 1997
Self Insurance on the Rise - 24 December 1996
"Steady As She Sinks" No Change to Failed Health Legislation - 19 September 1996
Health Industry Body Must Admit Failure - 29 August 1996
Minister Called on to Review Budget Decision - 23 August 1996
Increase In Medicare Levy Misses The Point - Self Insured To Get 1% Slap In The Face - 16 August 1996
Doctors Call For Census Powers Overhaul - Privacy Commissioner Must Have Veto Power - 2 August 1996
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