What’s the AMA’s position on #Medicare use & misuse (aka health care resource stewardship)?

It’s a lengthy position statement, but relevant to the current #MBS debate.

#MBS 🧵 1.1 Health care resources need to be appropriately managed so that all patients can continue to receive the best quality care, now and in the future.

Multiple stakeholders agree that #Medicare is in crisis.

The cause? Well, that’s a Diagnostic Dilemma.

While arguments on who is to blame can continue ad infinitum, it’s best for our patients that we work together to save Medicare & address major healthcare workforce problems. It’s evident that some Medicare data doesn’t match what’s seem on the ground.

GP bulk billing rates of 89.6% in the July 2021 quarter? Sounds great, but the devil is always in the (very complex Medicare) data.

Healthcare is complex.

Today is the 120th consecutive day of #electivesurgery restrictions in Victoria. How did we get here?

🧵 On 25 March 2020 National Cabinet halted non urgent elective surgery on the advice of AHPPC

pm.gov.au/media/elective… 
 
Emergency & category 1 surgeries could continue.

The Victorian Government has now had #electivesurgery restrictions in place for 118 days.

#ShowUsThePlanDan #SpringSt Category 2 & category 3 essential surgery has been banned across the state for 21 days, with no roadmap for recommencement.

I’m operating this morning so may have to halt this tweet stream midstream but want to talk about My Health Record and #optoutMHR. By way of disclosure, I was invited on an ADHA Committee about MyHR last year. It’s unpaid & I’ve never attended because I’m already fully booked with patients when they announce the meeting dates. Also, I’m an AMA Federal Councillor. The AMA is broadly in favour of a national

When I joined the @amavic Board in 2017 it had more women than men. The @amavic Board now has 3 women and 11 men, following the election of 6 new directors to the Board in the last 2 months – one woman and five men.