AMA sets its own items for managing a shared health summary for the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR)
The AMA has introduced its own items for preparing and managing a shared health summary for the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR).
AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the Government had not created new items for doctors’ time and work with patients on the PCEHR and had not allocated any new funding in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to cover this new clinical service to be provided by doctors.
“The public announcements from the Government suggest that patients will only get a Medicare rebate if the shared health summary is prepared as part of an existing MBS consultation,” Dr Hambleton said.
“GPs are being asked to do more work in their consultations for no reward. We have sought more information and clarification but no formal public response has been forthcoming.
“So the AMA has taken the initiative to give doctors and their patients some certainty by setting items that realistically reflect the time, the work and the expertise required to ensure that shared health summaries are thorough, up-to-date, and useful across health care settings.
“The items provide guidance to AMA members on medical fees for this important clinical service for their patients. It is not a recommended fee. The AMA encourages its members to set their own fees based on their practice cost experience.
“The AMA items are time-tiered and can be billed in addition to any consultation that is provided to the patient on the same day.
“The AMA is a strong supporter of the PCEHR and the benefits for patients and the healthcare system – but we have to get it right the first time,” Dr Hambleton said.
The AMA items for preparing and managing a Shared Health Summary for the PCEHR are as follows:
AMA Number Fee | Description of Medical Service |
AA340 $53.00 | Professional service initiated by the patient and rendered by a medical practitioner to prepare and/or manage a Shared Health Summary for the patient’s Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record – A service of not more than 15 minutes duration |
AA341 $104.00 | A service of more than 15 minutes duration but not more than 30 minutes duration |
AA342 $154.00 | A service of more than 30 minutes duration but not more than 45 minutes duration |
AA343 $210.00 | A service of more than 45 minutes duration |
Background:
While the Government has acknowledged that preparing the Shared Health Summary will require extra work for the medical practitioners who take on this role, it has not said that separate Medicare rebates will be available to assist patients with the costs of this medical service.
At this time, Medicare rebates will only be available if the Shared Health Summary is prepared as part of a consultation. In other words, the costs of this service will have to be absorbed by existing consultations.
The Shared Health Summary is a key feature of the PCEHR. It is also a new clinical service for medical practitioners that will need to be factored into current clinical practice. It is appropriate for medical practitioners to raise separate charges for it.
Last week, the AMA released the draft AMA Guide to Using the PCEHR to assist medical practitioners and their practices to consider if, and how, they might use the PCEHR in their day-to-day practice.
10 April 2012
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