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AMA (NSW) is concerned that injured workers’ access to care will be reduced should the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) implement changes to medical fees.
“SIRA’s decision to cut medical fees will significantly delay access to care, as fewer doctors will engage in treatment to injured workers.
“AMA (NSW) has consistently fought for a payment structure that ensures injured workers receive the best possible access to medical care – to the same access that is available to patients with the highest levels of private health insurance,” said AMA (NSW) Vice President, Dr Andrew Zuschmann.
“Providing care for injured workers under the Workers Compensation Scheme involves considerable reporting and administration work, which the current payment scheme takes into account. Cutting these payments will impact on treating doctors’ ability to balance workers compensation patients with their existing patient caseload.
“Given there are almost 95,000 people on elective surgery waitlists in NSW, with 11,000 patients who have waited longer than clinically recommended, it would be imprudent to implement changes that exacerbate wait-times for injured workers,” Dr Zuschmann said.
AMA (NSW) has long been calling for improvements to the management of injured workers, specifically with regard to the operation and function of iCare.
The State Insurance and Care Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, which was recently introduced into the Legislative Assembly for a second reading, implements part of the Government’s response to the recommendations made by the McDougall Review into iCare.
The bill extends certain regulatory, investigative and enforcement powers of SIRA with respect to self-insurers, iCare, and entities engaged in claims management functions.
“We support measures to increase SIRA’s regulatory, investigative and enforcement powers with respect to iCare, self-insurers and others involved in claims management,” Dr Zuschmann said.
“These measures are overdue and confirm what AMA (NSW) has repeatedly called for – greater scrutiny to address leakage and increasing costs, specifically as it relates to iCare’s mismanagement and treatment of injured workers.”
“There are many improvements to be made to the system but targeting doctors’ fees is short-sighted and undervalues the care that injured workers deserve,” Dr Zuschmann said.
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