Optometry Australia has welcomed the new Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report and Minister for Health Mr Mark Butler’s recent commitments to ensuring best use of Australia’s skilled health workforce.
However, the peak body has highlighted the “inadequacy of Medicare rebates” that are disincentivising optometrists from performing more complex care within the community setting.
Developed by primary health care leaders and experts in their fields, the report was released on February 3 and sets out a recommended pathway for significant reforms to strengthen Medicare and rebuild general practice.
While welcomed generally, organisations like the Australian Medical Association say it is a high level vision document with little detail. And while it potentially sets primary care on a pathway to long term reform, patients ideally require more immediate support.
The Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report recommends supporting new blended funding models, integrated with the existing fee-for-service model, allowing teams of GPs, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals to work together to deliver the care people need.
The taskforce also found that strengthening primary care with “a greater range of health professionals working to their full scope of practice” will optimise use of the health workforce across “a stretched primary care sector”. It’s hoped this will deliver increased access to healthcare and improved equity of outcomes in rural, regional and remote areas.
Optometry Australia interim CEO Ms Skye Cappuccio said the peak body was committed to working with governments and stakeholders to explore how the contribution of optometry can be maximised to improve the health outcomes of all Australians.
“The recommendations in the report broadly align with our vision to support optometrists practising to their fullest scope and to enhance local integration of specialists and hospitals with primary care,” she said.
“Optometry is a vital component of the healthcare system. As outlined in our Working Together for Better Eye Care policy platform, central to addressing Australia’s looming eye health crisis is supporting optometrists to practise to their full scope to enhance patient access and increase the efficiency of Australia’s eye health system.”
She continued: “Any change needs to be implemented alongside appropriate indexation of Medicare funding to enable a system that sustainably serves the needs of the community.”
The report highlights the importance of new locally relevant funding models for rural and remote communities and highlights the significance of enabling multidisciplinary team care and enhancing digital access and sharing of patient health information.
Optometry Australia supported these key initiatives and believes that by working together, optometrists and other health practitioners can provide a more comprehensive and integrated approach to patient care.
“Optometry has a crucial role to play in improving access to care for all Australians, and we welcome approaches that focus on making the best use of our skilled workforce,” Cappuccio said.
“However, a key issue that remains unaddressed, is the inadequacy of Medicare rebates for optometric care. The gap between the rebate and the cost of providing quality primary eyecare continues to grow. This disincentivises the provision of more complex care within the community setting.”
Optometry Australia has welcomed opportunities to provide input to the taskforce, and will continue to advocate to broaden the clinical scope of optometrists.
A new vision for Medicare
Minister Butler said Medicare had been “the crowning achievement” of the Australian health system for 40 years, but it is time for reform.
“Now is the time to ensure Medicare delivers the kind of primary care Australians expect, both now and into the future. Our government has committed $750 million to the Strengthening Medicare Fund, which will be the start of a major revamp of the primary care system,” he said.
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to each member of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce for their hard work and insights. This is an important foundation for the work to come in modernising and improving Medicare.”
The final report of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce can be found here.
More reading
Optometry Australia says 2022 Medicare indexation falling well behind CPI
Tips to avoid Medicare compliance issues
New Medicare items to fund allied health case conferencing
