Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 2:08:37 to 2:14:46
Examination of the transition period for Medicare assignment of benefits (AOB) and the decision to maintain verbal consent options for clinicians.
Topics: Health, Government IT systems
Speakers: Duncan McIntyre, Senator Anne Ruston, Unknown Speaker, Blair Comley
>> Um, so in relation to the Medicare assignment benefits, >> what time would you due to finish at >> go >> I'll try um so I'm just yeah just trying to um get an idea could you perhaps provide an overview of the process that has led to the decision uh to remove the verbal consent for AO O
>> uh Senator um firstly it would be best to suggest that we haven't removed the um process of verbal assignment of benefit um at the moment there is a transition period to the arrangements that the government has outlined for assignment of benefits and um the arrangements that have been in place for some time are still applying at the moment. The government's gone through a process of seeking to simplify the assignment of benefit process. Um, and a broader range of options are now available to clinicians than were the case before those reforms. Um but it has also revealed the need for uh substantial education um to assist clinicians to ensure that they can meet their assignment benefit obligations and for the software industry to put in place structures that will make it easier for clinicians to um to do that. And so um until such time as that's the case, there is an option which allows um prescribers um those who are having a benefit assigned to um make some note that allows them to demonstrate that they did receive an assignment of benefit and that's what that's what you're referring to by saying verbal assignment benefit.
>> Okay. So so basically there was a decision that that assignment of benefit was going to verbal assignment of benefit was going to be removed. there was subsequently quite a significant backlash and my understanding is that there's been a 12 month deferral um in and is that what you're referring to when you're saying that currently there still is a process by which verbal AOB is able to occur?
>> Senator, I'll ask um Mr. Riley to outline some further detail, but um it has been continuously the case that um clinicians are obliged to ensure that they can demonstrate that their benefit has been assigned and there are a range of ways that that can be done and we are making that much easier for for uh clinicians going forward.
>> Okay. So I'm just wondering is it the view of the department that a requirement to seek AOB approval for every consult such as in a setting like uh an age care home um is as a feasible requirement or is that one of the things
place uh provisions that ensure that there are viable options in a very broad range of circumstances, and you're alluding to one where it can be more difficult to ensure that you have assignment of benefit. In some care settings, it can be difficult to um get the consent of of the person who's being treated. Um but there are ways uh that the legislation outlines that allow um those people to assign their benefit even in circumstances where they may not be able to do that themselves.
>> Yeah. So is the department um so as part of like that answer you've just given me is the department looking to establish a mechanism to allow patients to assign like an enduring um assignment of benefit to reduce administrative burden?
Uh yes, Senator, there are um already provisions in place that allow some categories of patients to do that and um as we move into the final stage of this that will there'll be uh further opportunities for people to have an enduring assignment of benefit. So for patients that have the same uh go to the same practice every time um there will be ways that uh they can provide an enduring assignment of benefit so they don't have to do that every time they visit that practice. So can we be
confident that the department um will make sure that any changes that are going to be made long term um will be um you know effectively managed in a way to avoid the repeat of what's happened this year where the proposals were put out there at the very last minute there was a very immediate backlash. We've thankfully had the 12 month reprieve to enable more work to be done. Um are you confident that the processes that are now put in place will avoid um a repeat of what has happened this year in relation to um these changes to
department takes very seriously um the views of stakeholders uh when it is implementing policy and uh when it became clear to us that stakeholders um wanted to have further discussions about how they could ensure they could comply with the law um we modified plans in sympathy with the issues they raised. What I can have confidence in is that if there are further issues raised, we will listen to our stakeholders and we will seek to address those faithfully. But we have addressed those issues that have been raised to date. Um and so if the issues that have been raised today are the only ones that come forward then I can be confident that we will come through to implementation in the time frames that have already been set out.
>> Okay. I look forward to seeing that. Can I just ask quickly um gardasil is that in this one or is that >> gil