Queensland public specialists may sidestep contract dispute by diverting patients to private system #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors
SENIOR doctors are planning to sidestep the Newman Government’s controversial contracts by doing a deal with a private consortium to divert private patients away from the public hospital system.
Doctors campaigning against the “flawed” contracts have confirmed a group of Brisbane-based radiation oncologists had entered talks with a company, which was offering to pay the same money to treat private patients diverted from the public system.
The deal would enable the doctors to continue working in their public hospital jobs under their existing agreements without forgoing about a third of their wage earned through the treatment of private patients.
Doctors have been given until April 30 by the Newman Government to sign up to new individual contracts.
Those who refuse to sign will be able to continue working under their existing agreements, but will no longer receive a cut of the revenue generated through the treatment of private patients.
But any deal with the private company would enable the doctors to continue to pick up their Queensland Health paypackets while making up the rest of their income by diverting private patients away from the public hospital system.
It is understood the company has offered to pay the doctors the same rate as in the public system.
Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation state branch vice-president Stephen Morrison said the diversion of private patients would see the public system lose out on vital funding.
“It won’t cost the patients anymore, but the outside company will get the revenue and not the Royal Brisbane ,” Dr Morrison said.
“The negative for the hospital will be that the hospital will not get the Medicare rebates, which instead will go to the private company. Radiation oncologists are a particularly high billing group.”
Federal president Dr Tony Sara last night would not confirm how many resignation letters he had collected, but said the prospect of public hospital doctors setting up rooms “across the street” from hospitals and “streaming” private patients to their practices would cost Queensland Health.
Source: Courier Mail