Health Ministers acknowledge big problems with AHPRA and national registration

Dr Pesce said the AHPRA problems have had a significant impact on doctors and their patients.

“Some doctors have had to stop working until their registration has been reinstated, and patients have been unable to claim Medicare rebates because their doctors were suddenly unregistered due to AHPRA processes,” Dr Pesce said.

“The AMA has devoted considerable resources over the past year to assist AHPRA to identify the registration problems and solutions.

“We have also assisted our members to become familiar with the new processes to ensure that the transition to national registration was as smooth as possible.

“AHPRA was constantly reminded that the new system must not involve extra red tape for doctors and, most importantly, would not threaten their registration or cause it to lapse.

“The AMA has been completely vindicated in raising serious concerns about the potential for expensive and unnecessary bureaucracy with national registration for some years now.

“Despite our best efforts, we are still seeing serious glitches that affect the medical profession and the other health professions.

“These problems must be fixed urgently if AHPRA is to have any credibility with the health professions.

“We also need action to ensure that patients receive their Medicare rebates for services provided by doctors who found themselves unexpectedly and inappropriately not registered,” Dr Pesce said.

Dr Pesce said that, given that the AMA has been vindicated over concerns raised about AHPRA shortcomings, the Government should revisit other registration-related issues that the AMA has raised, such as the mandatory reporting of doctors, as these issues are likely to cause problems as well.

“While the AMA welcomes today’s announcement by Health Ministers that they will provide additional support and expertise to support AHPRA, AHPRA must remain independent and be properly resourced.

“Additional funding required by AHPRA should be borne by the Government, not through imposing higher registration fees on doctors.”

The AMA has collated a list of major concerns with the AHPRA process.  This list was sent to Health Ministers ahead of today’s AHMC meeting.

Communication

 Verbal

• The call centre model to handle registrant enquiries does not allow individual registrant issues to be resolved – staff can only provide scripted information in response to simple, generic enquiries.

• The waiting time for telephone enquiries is up to one hour – registrants are hindered in making simple enquiries.

• Registrants are not provided with contact details of staff who can resolve their issues – they have to wait for a return call.

Written

• There have been delays in registrants receiving paperwork from AHPRA.

• Applications and other paperwork submitted by registrants by certified mail to AHPRA are lost.

• Registration forms are not fit for purpose – registrants are being asked to provide information they have previously submitted to AHPRA, or provide information that is not relevant to their registration category e.g. 2,000+ interns having to provide demographic information and qualifications already provided for provisional registration.

• Forms are inconsistent – witnessing requirements differ across forms.

• Wrong information is sent to registrants – registrants who received registration certificates were advised two weeks later by email they were no longer registered.

Registration database

• AHPRA letters to registrants sent to incorrect addresses – failure to ensure the integrity of the data, no transfer of paper information provided by registrants into the database, and no audit of initial data transfer.

• The testing of the integrity of the data is via registrants’ highlighting flaws, rather than proper internal audit and testing processes.

• The registration status and categories on the public register are inconsistent with information provided to registrants – registrants, employers and insurers cannot rely on it as a trusted source to verify registration status.

Administration

• Lengthy delays in processing applications – affecting registrants’ ability to obtain visas and Medicare provider numbers and commence work.

• Registrants first advised of non-renewal of registration by Medicare Australia, not AHPRA.

• Discrepancy of operation between state AHPRA offices indicates no standard operating procedures and protocols in place.

• No governance arrangements in place for consistent application of the National Law and registration processes.

• Expected and predictable matters handled in an ad hoc way - indicating no proper planning and understanding of core business requirements for registering health professionals and the impact on the health system.

17 February 2011

CONTACT:         John Flannery                     02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761

                        Geraldine Kurukchi              02 6270 5467 / 0427 209 753

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