AMA Urges Government to Slash GP Red Tape

Slashing red tape would allow Australia’s General Practitioners to spend more time caring for patients, AMA Federal President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today.

Dr Pesce said GPs were spending up to a quarter of their working hours completing paperwork and dealing with bureaucracy.

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“For every hour a GP spends doing paperwork, around four patients miss out on seeing a doctor,” he said.

“There are a number of simple measures Government could implement which would free up GPs to spend more time with patients.

“These include scrapping the requirement for GPs to seek approval from Medicare Australia every time they need to prescribe certain drugs under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for a patient.”

http://www.medindia.net/news/Plan-To-Reduce-Red-Tape-On-Medical-Practices-Will-Benefit-Patients-AMA-53818-1.htm
Draft proposals by the Productivity Commission designed to reduce the red tape burden on medical practices will benefit patients, the AMA said today.

Since 2007, doctors have been permitted to prescribe 200 PBS listed Authority medications without approval from Medicare Australia. There has been no appreciable change in prescribing trends for these medicines.

“This demonstrates that GPs are adhering to PBS prescribing requirements. Requiring GPs to ring up for prescribing approval numbers is a waste of time for doctors, patients and Government officials,” Dr Pesce said.

GPs Across Australia Unite for Patient Care
General Practitioners from across Australia are concerned that the health of their patients will suffer without urgent action in a number of key health policy areas.

Dr Pesce also called for a reduction in the amount of paperwork GPs needed to complete to comply with a range of programs.

“GPs are frustrated that Governments have ignored successive reports recommending that GP red tape should be slashed. It is now time to get on with this task and stop wasting time that GPs could be spending with patients,” he said.

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A new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare/University of Sydney report on General Practice highlights the critical role GPs play in keeping the Australian community healthy.

Source-AMA
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