Medicare Provider Number Legislation Review Provides Hope for Easing of Medical Workforce Shortages
AMA President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that the 2005 Biennial Review of the Medicare Provider Number legislation outlined practical achievable steps to ease medical workforce shortages, especially in country towns and other areas of health need.
Dr Haikerwal said the review - conducted by former NSW Health Minister, Mr Ron Phillips - took on board many of the recommendations put forward by the AMA during the review consultation process.
"The AMA particularly supports the recommendations to grandfather non-vocationally registered (non-VR) GPs, streamline the provider number system, and better support for the increased number of medical student s - all proposals put forward by the AMA," Dr Haikerwal said.
"Grandfathering the non-VR GPs would have a dramatic effect on medical workforce shortages by empowering non-VR GPs and encouraging them back to work or to increase their participation.
"There are around 2500 non-VR GPs out there, many of who are not participating full time in the workforce, if at all, and a large number of them are in regional or outer urban areas.
"Patients of the non-VR GPs currently working in the system should have access to higher Medicare patient rebates.
"Quality will be maintained as it will be compulsory for these doctors to undertake continuing professional development in order to maintain VR status."
Dr Haikerwal said streamlining the provider number system means that doctors would no longer need a different provider number for every location they work in - another key AMA recommendation to the Review.
The AMA called for doctors to have a single national provider number and the Review responded accordingly:
"The compliance burden can affect medical practitioners, patients, and communities, especially those in districts of workforce shortage who are trying to engage locums to cover absences or illnesses of their doctors.'
Dr Haikerwal said the Review has also provided the first real recognition of the AMA's concerns about the training of new medical school graduates.
"There is finally recognition that the planned 60 per cent increase in medical student numbers over coming years will present a significant challenge in providing proper supervision, resources and infrastructure if the quality of training is to be maintained," Dr Haikerwal said.
"This is a wake-up call for governments at all levels and highlights that public hospitals need more resources to train the doctors of the future.
"But there has to be a confirmed role for the private sector in ongoing teaching and training."
Other positives from the Review include:
- the recommendation to require the Medical Training Review Panel to monitor and report regularly on the progress to ensure adequate intern and training positions are in place to meet the increasing numbers of new medical school graduates
- recognition of the need to get more people into general practice and acknowledges the Government's limited efforts to allow pre-vocational training doctors to spend time in general practice in order to encourage them to look at general practice as a long term career
- expanding the pre-vocational general practice placements program to satisfy the increasing demand for future places.
Dr Haikerwal said the AMA will urge the Government to adopt and urgently implement the key recommendations of the Review.