Govt has no idea how many GP clinics exist | Australian Doctor
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Govt has no idea how many GP clinics exist Paul Smith
| 11 September, 2015 |
It's time for doctors to hang up the white coats for good
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The Federal Government has had no idea how many general practices exist in Australia since 2011, Australian Doctor has discovered.. The last time national figures were produced was apparently four years ago, a Productivity Commission report says, when the information was collected by the now defunct divisions of general practice. At the time the number of practices was put at 7097. The information has come to light in a submission to the government's primary care review which was launched by Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley (pictured) in April. Related News: Full details of chronic disease funding revamp Since the demise of the divisions, which were replaced by the doomed Medicare Local network, no one has been counting, the commission says. The data black hole means there has been no clear picture of the number of unaccredited practices now operating. In 2011, these numbered 2314 or around 35% of all general practices. “A high or increasing proportion of practices with accreditation can indicate an improvement in the capability of general practice to deliver high quality services,” the commission report says. And although the overall number of practices has historically been in decline, again since 2011 there has been no clear picture of its true extent. Related News: • Random spot checks mooted for GP clinics • What do our top health bureaucrats know about general practice? The AMA quotes the Productivity Commission report in its submission to the primar care review
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consultation, The report also shows that spending on general practice per person was just $299 in 2013/14. This compares with $1819 per person on public hospital care in the same year.
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/latest-news/govt-has-no-idea-how-many-gp... 21/09/2015