Rural Patients Forced to Pay 'Bigger Gaps'
The AMA says many patients are paying 'bigger gaps' for doctor visits because of a government freeze on Medicare rebates for Other Medical Practitioners (OMPS). This particularly disadvantages rural communities.
AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said more than half of the 2000 (Dec 1998) OMPs practising as primary care practitioners were living and working in rural areas, some as the sole doctor for the community.
"These practitioners have a full medical degree and access to a provider number, but they haven't completed training for formal Fellowship and GP Recognition required since 1996 by the RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners)," Dr Phelps said.
She said a Federal Government freeze on Medicare rebates for OMPs was forcing them to charge well above the lower rebate level just to cover the cost of a service.
"And it's the patients bearing the brunt of this discrimination, paying heftier gaps between the treatment cost and the rebate," she said.
Dr Phelps said OMPs rebates were set in 1991 at $21.00 for a standard consultation, with a Medicare benefit of $17.85.
"This compares with $26.45 for a standard GP consultation fee, with a rebate of $22.50."
Dr Phelps said the problem was highlighted for patients in rural areas who were often more economically and socially disadvantaged and, in many cases, had no choice of another doctor because of their geographic isolation.
She said the AMA remained a strong supporter of continuing medical education for doctors and the formal qualification of all primary care practitioners.
"It's a reality though, that many OMPs had already graduated as doctors when the GP qualification rules changed in 1996."
Dr Phelps has called on the government to adopt a new system to fast-track general practice recognition for OMPs.
"Under our model, doctors would receive immediate 'temporary' recognition as a GP and therefore access to higher rebates as an incentive while undertaking the extra training," she said.
"We want to see justice for the patients, as well as the practitioners - the government has been dragging its feet on this issue for far too long."