Fee-for-service funding model cannot keep up with cost of complex primary care needs, community organisations say
‘Our clients are complex. In a 15-minute appointment you are not going to get very far,’ said Cohealth nurse Vaan Phongsavan, who now carries out the program.‘Our clients are complex. In a 15-minute appointment you are not going to get very far,’ said Cohealth nurse Vaan Phongsavan, who now carries out the program.Last modified on Sat 30 Apr 2022 21.
“It was working well but the funding was basically grant money … [so] I have been working alone and the bus no longer runs, I see patients in the clinics,” Phongsavan said.Last month, a patient came in with a very painful infected abscess in his mouth. Phongsavan spent hours trying to find a bulk-billing GP that would see him.
She said most of the people she sees could benefit from also seeing a GP – to write scripts, perform cervical screenings or do a full checkup.“A lot of mainstream services can’t afford to do this because it is time-consuming and it’s expensive.” “Without good doctors working in community health, vulnerable clients are at risk of missing out on the kind of integrated care that they need,” Bartholomeusz said.
“There are no doctors – just no doctors. I am constantly advertising to get doctors. I’ve gone to about six recruitment agencies.” Shanmugam said if it wasn’t for the Medicare rebate he would have to fork out thousands each year for his bills – which he just would not be able to afford.Australian Medical Association vice president, Chris Moy, said there was “no bloody way … not a hope in hell” that community health services could continue under the current financial model.
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