AMACGP Chair concludes time in role

There have been some bruising fights with Government along the way, as well as some notable wins. The work is never over and whoever takes my place will continue to face a challenging environment. 

When I came to the position of Chair, the MBS Review was underway, Medicare rebates were still frozen, the now defunct Health Care Homes trial was underway, difficult changes to the PIP (Practice Incentive Program) Digital Health Incentive were being implemented, and the AMA was calling for GP funding to better support quality care and the incorporation of non-dispensing pharmacists into general practice.  

Over my time the AMA has successfully advocated for retention of key components of the Practice Incentive Program. These include the Indigenous Health, Teaching, GP Procedural and the Aged Care Access (ACAI) incentives, which Government wanted to sacrifice to fund the Quality Improvement Incentive (QII). Not only did our advocacy see these incentives retained but we also secured additional funding for the QII and more recently a doubling of the payments available under the ACAI.  

The most progressive step forward has without a doubt been the funding of telehealth (video and phone) services under the MBS. It is a shame that it required a pandemic for Government to realise the role that appropriate telehealth services contributes to timely and accessible patient care.  

Continued AMA advocacy for the reduction in red tape contributed to the cessation of the Vocational Register and the introduction of streamlined access to Medicare for GPs via their registration status with AHPRA.  

On the GP workforce front the AMA secured the expansion of prevocational training places in general practices with a focus on rural areas, and successfully lobbied for the introduction of the Rural Generalist Pathway. Funding for non-dispensing pharmacists is now accessible through the Workforce Incentive Program.  We have also supported a return to college led training arrangements and we continue to work to achieve more equitable conditions for the next generation of GPs, backed by improved support for supervisors. 

COVID-19 threatened the viability of general practices around the country and in the first six months of the pandemic around $600m in additional financial support for general practice that the AMA secured helped save many practices from financial extinction. We fought strongly for better access to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and a fair rebate for COVID-19 vaccination services. We secured a no-fault indemnity scheme and general practice can be very proud that it formed the backbone of the vaccine roll out.   

The Council of General Practice has led the way in the quest for primary health reform and put words to the vision of many GPs around the country in our Delivering Better Care for Patients: The AMA 10-Year Framework for Primary Care Reform while GP policy features strongly in the AMA’s broader Vision for Australia’s Health.  

These strongly influenced the recommendations of the Primary Health Reform Steering Committee and our ideas were taken up in the Government’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan. Unfortunately, the Government is yet to fund this plan and the AMA will need to work hard to ensure that it does not become another document that gathers dust on a shelf in the Department of Health.  

Our recently launched Modernise Medicare campaign is designed to highlight the issues facing general practice and to keep the pressure on the major parties to do more to support general practice and build a health system that can meet our future needs.  

While I will be taking a step back now, I know that the AMA has the right policies in place to ensure patient-centred, collaborative and connected care and to guide a better future for GPs, general practice and the community we care for.