Response to the Report from the General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee: Phase 2

CHF supports the changes that the GPPCCC have been made in their Phase 2 Report and feel that their vision of the health system aligns closely with what we hear from members. We are pleased that our earlier comments have been taken on board but would like to see more detail around patient activation and the role of consumer leadership in the proposed changes to the MBS items. We believe that this element is essential to successful patient and family-centred primary health care in Australia. Beyond the scope of this Committee’s work, we would like to highlight the importance of strong change management to ensure recommendations align with consumer and sector expectations in the design, implementation and evaluation stages.

Read the CHF response to the Report from the General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee: Phase 2

Response to the MBS Review Taskforce Diagnostic Medicine Clinical Committee  

CHF supports the DMCC’s recommendations in principle in order to reduce inappropriate requesting of pathology and Diagnostic Imaging tests. In particular, we feel that Clinical Decision Support is a platform to make quality a focus of requests and an opportunity for consumer education (informed clinical and financial consent). Beyond the scope of the DMCC’s work, we urge the government to implement Clinical Decision Supports quickly and consider the additional support and funding that will help the success of this process.

Read the CHF Response to the MBS Review Taskforce Diagnostic Medicine Clinical Committee  

Response to the Report from the Mental Health Reference Group

In March this year CHF undertook a consumer survey on mental health services to hear from people with lived experiences about how the current health service system works for them. In that survey we asked about people’s experience of care, from a system integration and patient centred perspective and asked for ideas about how it could be improved. We used the results of this survey to inform our submission to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into mental health services. 

Read the CHF Response to the Report from the Mental Health Reference Group

Response to the Report from the Allied Health Reference Group

Thirty years following the creation of Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), a review is long overdue. CHF members believe that this review and a commitment to the regular evaluation of Medicare items is an essential to maintaining a world class health system and ensuring that funding is available for high value care. CHF supports most of the recommendations made by this Reference Group to position AHPs to take on a greater role in keeping Australians healthy. The Main Themes that the Group has outlined address the challenges that consumers face in accessing allied health services as part of an MBS funded plan or otherwise.

Read the CHF Response to the Report from the Allied Health Reference Group

CHF Response to the Report from the Nurse Practitioner Reference Group

CHF supports all the recommendations in the report. We agree with the conclusions in the Consumer Impact statement of the report, particularly around the importance of these measure in improving patient choice and access to primary health care that is ”timely, uncomplicated, culturally safe and affordable”. We believe that the package of measures, if fully implemented would achieve that and would do make a significant contribution to modernising our primary health care system.

Read the CHF Response to the Report from the Nurse Practitioner Reference Group

Publication type: 
Publish date: 
Friday, March 8, 2019
Author: 
Consumers Health Forum