The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is concerned over a rumoured proposal to Government recommending pharmacist’s conduct Government funded health checks could lead to the fragmentation of care for Australian patients.
While details of the proposal, reported in medical and mainstream media are still to be confirmed, it is believed it is calling on the Federal Government to invest $75 million – a $50 Government funded payment per 30 minute consult – in an attempt to curb preventable disease rates and workforce shortages.
RACGP President, Dr Liz Marles, said it is puzzling if the Government considered supporting a proposal which risks fragmentation of care when general practice is consistently faced with Medicare freezes.
“For years general practice rebates have failed to keep up with inflation, with the current Medicare rebate for a 19 minute consultation with a GP still only $36.30.
“During this time, not only can weight, blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol be checked, but an appropriate history and management plan incorporated into the patient’s record with medical follow up arranged if necessary.
“If the Government is genuine about improving health outcomes for Australians with early intervention, then investing money into general practice is a far more productive solution,” said Dr Marles.
The RACGP is also concerned at the lack of evidence supporting the value of preventive health checks performed outside of general practice.
“A recent study exploring the effectiveness of preventive health checks has highlighted regular health checks performed in a general practice setting were associated with significant reductions in key risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and weight1.
“Unlike general practice, those performed in other healthcare settings showed no preventive health benefits1.
“Patient safety and quality of care must underpin any development in delivering patient services. This proposed model effectively jeopardises the known benefits of having a continuous and coordinated patient care framework,” said Dr Marles.
The RACGP reaffirms its long standing position that role and task substitution is not the answer to improving health outcomes or workforce shortages, especially given the health workforce shortages in all health professions.
1Moss JR, Sullivan TR, Newton SS, Stocks NP. Effectiveness of general practice-based health checks: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of General Practice. 2014; 64(618): e47–e53. doi: 10.3399/bjgp14X676456.