AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen provides members with an update on the past week at Federal AMA.
It's been another full week juggling the responsibilities which come with being AMA President along with my work as a GP, but I am pleased to say this past week I've managed to spend three full days in clinic! I truly believe it is vital as President that I continue to be an active and practicing clinician to not only ensure my patients receive their continuity of care but also so we never lose sight of the trials and tribulations of everyday practice - not to mention the daily reminder that it is patient care and the health of Australians that ultimately drives what we do.
AusDoc published an article this week on the costs of practicing medicine, and it is of course no small issue. We recognise the huge impact the cost of registration, indemnity, CPD and association fees has on doctors. We know that membership of the AMA is a discretionary spend, and we value each and every one of you for the contribution you make to supporting the AMA as we represent you, and fight for a better health system for all of us and our patients. Membership is tax deductible, and as with any member organisation or collective, strength comes from numbers. We can influence governments in policy matters, but that influence relies on our collective strength.
This week I caught up with Jane Griffiths, the CEO of Day Hospitals Australia to explore the issues affecting this part of our private health system. Many day hospitals are owned and run by our members. It's so essential that we support patients to access the right care in the right place at the right time. We need a private health system that supports innovation but keeps clinician autonomy, patient choice, and quality of care central.
I also met with the Pharmacy Guild, who we have had some major disagreements with over issues such as task substitution, 60 day dispensing, and the lack of competition in the pharmacy sector. These disagreements are on the public record and the AMA will always seek to pursue models of care that are in the best interests of our patients. Nonetheless, it is important as peak groups that we have open lines of communication and can discuss issues with respect and with an eye to ensuring common ground can be found where important..
I also had a briefing on the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme complexity review . We have significant concerns about the direction of this review and I'll have more to say on this next week.
Your Vice President A/Prof Julian Rait participated in a meeting about the Medicare safety net. Rest assured, we will continue to support this valuable mechanism for patients who face high out-of-pocket costs either through complex multimorbidity or requiring high-cost treatments.
