Medicare changes force GP into retirement: private practice no longer viable

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VETERAN Cygnet GP John Wilkins says he can earn a better living working two days as a locum than a full seven days in his practice, when Medicare changes come in on Monday.

Dr Wilkins spoke out yesterday as GPs around the country mobilise against the last-minute Medicare changes.

He said they would make face-to-face consultation of less than 10 minutes financially unviable. The rebate for doctors will next week drop from $37.50 to $16.95 and ultimately to $11.95.

“As an experienced and ­efficient older GP I can deal with most of my patients’ needs well inside the 10-minute timeframe,’’ he said.

“So for the majority of consultations I will receive a woefully inadequate fee.”

A spokesman for the Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley said the changes “accurately reflect the time a doctor spends with their patient and encourage longer GP consultations for better health outcomes, not ‘six-minute medicine’.’’

“The majority of GP consultations in Australia already last over 10 minutes and will therefore be unaffected,’’ the spokesman said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Tasmania branch deputy chairman Bastian Seidel said the Federal Government had sold out small practices, the backbone of rural medicine, with the Medicare changes.

The RACGP opposes the cut in the patient rebate, changes to time-based requirements for level A and B consultations, and the freeze to rebates until 2018.

Members are signing a “You have been Targeted” petition against the changes in their thousands. It has 36,381 signatures and is aiming for 50,000.

“Dr Wilkins is the typical country doctor who does home visits, he bulkbills patients who can’t afford to pay, he has worked for over 30 years, he is retiring, not because he doesn’t enjoy it any more, he is fed up with the system which pun­ishes GPs,’’ Dr Seidel said.

Former AMA Tasmania branch president John Davis said the changes would “cut the guts” out of GP medicine, “the same group that saves the health system millions”.

“The cuts to the Medicare rebates are cuts by the insurer to the taxpayer,’’ Dr Davis said.

Source: The Mercury