“Revalidation should not be imposed on Australia’s 100,000 doctors without an independent cost benefit analysis,” Dr Aniello Iannuzzi, spokesman for the Australian Doctors’ Fund (ADF) said in Sydney today.
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) has indicated it intends to impose a UK revalidation mandatory compliance scheme on Australian doctors. However, no evidence that it has led to any measurable improvement in patient outcomes has been offered.
The ADF has written to the Current Chair of the COAG Health Council, The Hon Jill Hennessy, requesting a copy of any cost benefit analysis on the introduction of revalidation.
Demanding an extra 40 hours of paperwork per annum from 100,000 Australian doctors means 4,000,000 hours that Australian doctors won’t be treating patients or working in the public hospital system.
“We need a proper due diligence process for the revalidation proposal”, Dr Iannuzzi said.
“We pride ourselves on being an evidence based profession. We insist that new medicines and medical technology is rigorously tested. However, we do not apply the same standards to the growth in compliance and that needs to change”, Dr Iannuzzi said.
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law currently mandates reporting and provides for the MBA to evaluate doctors whose performance is considered unsafe.
Our Prime Minister tells us that Australia has to improve its productivity and we believe that includes making sure that our health system doesn’t impose low value and non-evidence based compliance requirements on hard-working health professionals.
The proposal to introduce revalidation is being driven by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) which reports to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) which reports to the COAG Health Council (CHC)1. It does not have to be debated in any single jurisdiction (parliament).
Enough is enough.
Contact:
Dr Aniello Iannuzzi
Director
Australian Doctors’ Fund
0417 494 528
Mr Stephen Milgate
CEO
Australian Doctors’ Fund
(02) 9567 5595, 0425 283 411
