News

Poor form from Centrelink

AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today that Centrelink has displayed very poor form in relation to the latest forms introduced for the Medical Certificate (for sickness benefit) and the Treating Doctor's Report (for disability pension).

Dr Phelps said both AMA and Centrelink had been part of a Working Group back in 2000 that recommended to the Minister that doctors be paid for completing the Treating Doctor's report (TDR). The AMA had also recommended deleting the bureaucratic 'assessment of work capacity' component from the new forms.

Neither recommendation was taken up.

Since the new forms entered circulation in September this year, Centrelink has claimed publicly that the AMA contributed to and endorsed the new forms. This is untrue.

GPs have been contacting the AMA to express their concerns and objections about the forms. Main concerns include:

    • While the TDR no longer requires an 'assessment of work capacity', the form now requires detailed clinical information which requires considerable time and input from the doctor
    • the Medical Certificate demands a range of clinical information on diagnosis, symptoms and treatment as well as lengthy practice details - it takes considerable time to complete and seems inappropriate for a short term sickness benefit, and
    • doctors are not paid for completing the forms (which can take up to an hour plus clerical time in extracting and copying clinical records) - they are simply told that "time taken to complete the report may be claimed under a Medicare item when included as part of a consultation".

Dr Phelps said doctors are not Centrelink clerks.

"The bureaucracy and the paperwork belong in Centrelink, not the doctor's surgery," Dr Phelps said.

"The AMA is continuing negotiations for doctors to be paid for the research and excessive paperwork involved and we repeat that we do not endorse or support the new forms in any way.

"For Centrelink to claim otherwise is poor form indeed," Dr Phelps said.

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

Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306

Media Contacts

Federal 

 02 6270 5478
 0427 209 753
 media@ama.com.au

Follow the AMA

 @ama_media
 @amapresident
‌ @AustralianMedicalAssociation