ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday welcomes the release of the Grattan report: A New Medicare – Strengthening General Practice, saying it is a reminder of the urgent need for significant reform of the funding models for general practice and Medicare more broadly.
“ACRRM has long advocated for a reform of the funding models for general practice and primary care and emphasises the need for urgent action to address issues which are impacting rural and remote practice and rural communities,” Dr Halliday says.
“The circumstances and contexts for rural and remote practice are so different that strategies designed for urban and larger regional communities are not fit-for-purpose in rural and remote communities.
“It is imperative that solutions are developed in close consultation with Rural Generalists (RGs) and community members. These are the people who will be directly impacted by the outcomes and who know their needs and priorities.
“The College supports the reform of Medicare to reflect our current circumstances, especially in supporting practices to tackle chronic disease and providing more flexible funding mechanisms.
“We support the concept of multi-disciplinary care and a team-based approach to primary care. This is especially important in rural and remote practice where all health professionals must work together and support each other.
“Any team approach must be done within the context of providing high quality, continuity of care where the patient’s usual doctor and general practice are lead components. The associated funding models should reflect this.”
Dr Halliday says the College has concerns regarding some of the recommendations.
“We are not confident that the proposal to fund Primary Health Networks or service provision organisations to take on a greater role in areas where access to care is low or at risk, is the best solution.
“This will add another layer of bureaucracy and potentially divert much-needed funding from the provision of support where it is most needed.”
Dr Halliday agrees that a strong commitment is needed to roll out new models and ensure they are adequately funded. These models should incorporate RG practice and acknowledge the role of RGs in delivering healthcare in rural and remote communities.
“It’s time to tackle these issues head-on and make some brave, strategic commitments.
“ACRRM is willing to contribute its leadership and expertise to achieve outcomes which support our RG and primary healthcare teams to improve access to high quality continuity of care for our rural and remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and ultimately to improve their health outcomes.”
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