Australia’s former Chief Medical Officer Professor John Horvath AO is currently overseeing the Australian Government’s review of Medicare Locals announced by Health Minister Dutton on 16th December 2013. Professor Horvath is expected to provide his report to Government by March 2014.
Stakeholders have been invited to comment on various aspects of Medicare Locals’ functions including:
- The role of MLs and their performance against stated objectives
- The performance of MLs in administering existing programmes, including after-hours GP services
- Recognising general practice as the cornerstone of primary care in the ML functions and governance structures
- Ensuring Commonwealth funding supports clinical services, rather than administration
- Processes for ensuring that existing clinical services are not disrupted or discouraged by ML programs
- Interaction between MLs and Local Hospital Networks and other health services, including boundaries
- Tendering and contracting arrangements
- Other related matters.
CeHA has identified the following submissions to the Review:-
- ACT Medicare Local
- Australian Association of Social Workers
- Australasian College of Health Informatics
- Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Assn
- Australian Health Care Reform Alliance
- Australian Local Government Assn
- Australian Medical Assn
- Australian Osteopathic Assn
- Australian Medicare Local Alliance
- Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
- Consumers Health Forum
- Councils on The Ageing
- Council of Social Service of NSW
- Country South SA Medicare Local
- Diabetes Australia
- Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local
- General Practice NSW
- Gippsland Medicare Local
- Health Consumers Queensland
- Kidney Health Australia
- Loddon Mallee Murray Medicare Local
- Medical Deans Australia & NZ
- Mental Health Coordinating Council
- National Rural Health Alliance
- North Coast NSW Medicare Local
- Palliative Care Australia
- Peter Brown , NSW
- Queensland Carers
- Royal Australian College of GPs
- Royal Flying Doctor Service
- Rural Doctors Assn of Australia
- Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health
- Universities Australia
- UQ Social Policy Unit