AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, said today that the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2018 provides further confirmation that general practice is the most efficient and cost effective part of the Australian health system.

Dr Gannon said the quality and productivity of Australia’s GPs is up with the best in the world.

“The Productivity Commission Report is compelling evidence that the Government must provide greater investment and support for general practice,” Dr Gannon said.

The Productivity Commission has found that 3000 patients present to emergency departments each day when they should be seeing their GP. In an ideal world, the right patients would go to the right place for treatment, AMA President Dr Michael Gannon has told Ben Fordham on 2GB.

The ACCC has today released a draft decision to renew for another 10 years the AMA’s existing authorisation that protects AMA member and non-member GPs from action under the Competition and Consumer Act (2010).

AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, said that the AMA welcomes the ACCC’s draft decision, which is now subject to a further period of consultation.

“The authorisation, which is very important for GPs, has a long history,” Dr Gannon said.

“AMA advocacy on this matter has provided significant benefits for GPs.

A proposed new Quality Improvement Incentive for general practice should work alongside the existing and successful Practice Incentives Program (PIP), not shift funding away from it, AMA Vice President Dr Tony Bartone says.

Health literacy is key to stopping the over-prescribing of antibiotics, AMA Vice President Dr Tony Bartone says.

A Geelong magistrate has refused to accept two medical certificates for a man who missed appointments for court-ordered community work. AMA Vice President, Dr Tony Bartone, says that doctors often turn down requests for medical certificates, particularly when there is no previous relationship with the patient.

Specialist obstetricians and GPs have been left out of a review of maternity services in Australia - the equivalent of conducting a law and order review without talking to the police, AMA President Dr Michael Gannon says.

For 30 years, Professor Bernard Pearn-Rowe has juggled his solo GP practice in Perth with his active roles in medical politics. The stalwart of general practice advocacy has been recognised with the AMA President's Award.

More work needs to be done to educate patients about the My Health Record program, with only 147 of the one million people taking part in an opt-out trial setting up a PIN number to protect their information, AMA Vice President Dr Tony Bartone says.