Medical Services For War Veterans Harder To Access Despite Fee Increases

AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, said the new fees for the LMO scheme are only slightly above the Medicare Plus incentives for some patients in some areas of $5.00 and $7.50 and do not allow for the longer more complex GP consultations needed to care for the serious and multiple health problems encountered by veterans.

"The LMO is supposed to provide veterans with Rolls Royce medical services but is only delivering P76 services," Dr Glasson said.

"AMA surveys of doctors who treat veterans show clearly that veterans' health schemes - the LMO Scheme for GPs and the RPPS for specialists - are not being funded well enough to deliver the quality of care promised to veterans," Dr Glasson said.

An August 2004 AMA poll of medical specialists shows that more doctors will drop out of the Repatriation Private Patient Scheme (RPPS) altogether or cut back on the number of veterans they treat despite fee increases promised from 1 July 2005 in the 2004-05 Federal Budget.

Under the RPPS, the Government promises veterans with Gold Cards free access to private specialist medical care by doctors in private hospitals and in doctors' rooms.

AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that the Budget fee increases of 15 per cent for consultations and 20 per cent for procedures are still not keeping up with the cost of providing the quality of service that veterans need and deserve.

"Our war veterans are getting older, their health is deteriorating, and many are suffering from multiple ailments," Dr Glasson said.

"They need more frequent visits to specialists and they require longer consultations."

The AMA poll received 1837 responses from specialists who currently treat veterans under the RPPS Australia-wide.

Key national findings include:

• 73 per cent will continue to treat veterans following the government's decision to increase fees from 1 Jan 2005 under the RPPS
• 25 per cent are considering cutting back on the number of veterans that they treat under the RPPS
• two per cent are definitely going to withdraw from the RPPS

·        all up, 27 per cent of specialists are going to reduce the number of veterans they see or withdraw completely from the RPPS.

Dr Glasson said the situation for war veterans in Tasmania is far worse than the national trend.

A total of 61 Tasmanian specialists who treat veterans under the RPPS responded.

Key poll findings for Tasmania include:

• 56 per cent say they will continue to treat veterans under the RPPS
• 31 per cent are considering cutting back on the number of veterans they treat under the RPPS
• 13 per cent are definitely going to withdraw from the RPPS
• all up, 44 per cent of Tasmanian specialists are going to reduce the number of veterans they see or withdraw completely from the RPPS.

Dr Glasson said there are particular problems in orthopaedics and urology in Tasmania due primarily to medical workforce shortages in that State.

"We are told that a number of specialists have already departed the scene in Tasmania, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) is already starting to fly vets to the mainland for treatment.

"The poll shows the beginnings of a major national problem for the health care of war veterans if the Tasmanian situation is any indicator.

"The medical workforce shortages are being felt all over the country and cannot be reversed in the short term.

"You simply cannot train and deploy a highly skilled medical workforce overnight.

"Our poll shows that the RPPS will fail to provide the promised quality of specialist care to our war veterans in the same way that the Local Medical Officer (LMO) Scheme is failing to provide appropriate general practice services to vets.

"These results send a clear signal that the Government and the DVA must have a long hard look at the RPPS and LMO Schemes to ensure our cherished war veterans get the quality of medical care they truly deserve.

"They fought for us.  Let's fight for them," Dr Glasson said.

2 September 2004

CONTACT:                        John Flannery                        (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761