media releases

“The DRS supports the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s criticism of the current method of payment of GPs,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society. “Paying doctors on a walk in walk out basis is only useful for a minority of illness in primary care. It discourages professionalism, encourages doctors to work alone rather than with health teams, and in a perfunctory manner i.e. time is money and an emphasis on quick consultations and fast throughput,” said Dr Woodruff.

“Fee for service (FFS) is not a good way to pay for the doctor to manage chronic illness or community care such as house visits and taking care of the elderly, seriously ill, those with disability or mental illness or those needing home care, palliative care etc.”

“In addition, FFS means patients who live in areas of workforce shortage, who are usually the most needy, get less care than those who live in richer urban areas, because funding goes to doctors, not to areas of need”

“We support calls for a mixed payment system for GPs that could combine FFS for acute care and part salary and part incentive payments for meeting broad targets and voluntary enrolments etc. It is crucial however, that incentive payments have no negative effects such as disadvantaging doctors working in areas of increased health burden, or encouraging doctors to cherry pick patiens with certain diseases.”

“However, we would stress that the important aim should be to get away from wholesale dependence on FFS payments,” said Dr Woodruff. “This would encourage doctors’ professionalism and a team approach to primary care, but it also must be done in a way which does not lead to frustratingly complicated and regulated payment systems.”

“But while reform of the system itself is important, it must be recognised that reform costs money but it is an investment in the future and in the midst of our current economic crisis it is crucial to make that investment,” said Dr Woodruff. “The current health system is under funded and under strain. Prime Minister Rudd’s promise to fund the system properly if elected should be implemented immediately and even while reform is being discussed. Otherwise doctors and patients may not take the reform process seriously or get the wrong idea – that the federal government’s reform process is really about privatising the health system or introducing US style managed care. And this would be the wrong signal to be giving at this time”. said Dr Woodruff.

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

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