AMA policy committee raises aged care concerns
The AMA's Economics and Workforce Committee believes the Federal Government should take over responsibility for financing and providing appropriate services and facilities for aged care patients currently housed in public hospitals.
Meeting in Canberra this week, the Committee agreed there is a problem with aged patients in public hospitals awaiting placement to residential aged care facilities. The Committee reiterated that public hospitals are not set up to look after such patients and, despite the best efforts of staff, they are not provided with appropriate care and aged care programs.
In one Brisbane hospital, aged care patients are restrained and tagged. When they go out of the hospital, security guards are alerted to bring them back. The AMA considers this demeaning of these older Australians.
These patients are victims of the old cost- and blame-shifting scenario with our public hospitals. State Governments pay for public hospitals and the Commonwealth pays for residential aged care (RAC). While the patients are in the public hospital, the Commonwealth saves. If they are immediately placed in RAC facilities, the State saves.
The Committee also called for the preservation of a proper balance between the public and private health systems.
Against a backdrop of private health premium increases and a possible merger between AXA and MBF, the Committee warned against the possibility of US-style managed care getting a foothold in Australia.
As the health funds and private hospitals horizontally and vertically integrate into powerful organisations with substantial resources that can dominate providers, the managed care option is bound to be looked at by business, bureaucrats and politicians.
Under managed care, financiers of care can become completely dominant and restrict the care decisions of doctors and the availability of care to patients.
Just take the US example where the doctor has to get approval to admit a patient to hospital and, once the patient is admitted, seek approval to keep the patient in the hospital. The AMA does not want to see this US dial-a-health-bureaucrat style of medicine in Australia.
Doctors are strong advocates for patients and this role needs to be preserved and enhanced, not attacked and restricted. Managed care weakens the role of the doctor, to the great detriment of the patient.
While re-stating AMA calls for transparency in the private health premium process, the Committee said the funds must remain viable if managed care is to be kept at bay.
CONTACT: John O'Dea, 02 6270 5463, 0418 407 044