1st July 2016 2.4% Award pay rise or freeze?! Did you know that on the 1st July 2016 your staff may be legally entitled up to a 2.4 % pay rise? Also just announced is a new option for people to be paid out their four weeks’ annual leave. Just ensure it is in writing! …
Author: David Dahm
To reduce fatal medical errors, look to the world of accountancy
AFTER heart attacks and cancer, medical errors are the third biggest cause of death in Australia. And believe it or not, there’s an easy solution without having to invest the billions we spend on other medical research. For full video presentation click here Human error accounts for about 40 deaths per day in Australia’s health…
AAPM 2016 National Conference: A fair Go for patients and providers by David Dahm
Australia’s Most Trusted Doctor!
As reported last week in on the 8th April 2016 at Sydney Novotel Darling Harbour, David Dahm is honoured to be invited to speak with an eclectic group of speakers. This includes the controversial Dr Charlie Teo, who was voted Australia’s most trusted person in 2014 by Readers Digest subscribers and Professor Barry Boettcher, a blood…
Is Private Health Insurance or Doctors a Rip Off?
How can you save your money when using our healthcare services? We have recently had some interesting media reports on the best value for money private health insurers, such as HBF and the least value NIB. We have become increasingly concerned about excluded procedures and significant patient gaps amongst these schemes. It is important to…
How much do Doctors earn?
There are some surprising and not so surprising statistics on the money that a Doctor earns compared to other occupations. The disparity between male and female practitioners is interesting to note. Clearly there are exceptions to the rule. We need to keep in mind that Doctors commit to a lot of training throughout their careers. There can be…
Medicare Cheques to be killed off in July 2016!
This is a quick reminder to everyone. Give your bank account details to your treating practitioner before July. Medicare will stop issuing cheques to patients. The change — announced in the Federal Budget last year — does not include Pay Doctor via Claimant (PDVC) cheques, which will continue to be issued. Patients can register their…
2016 A New Tax Blitz on Practice Trusts/Companies and Payroll Tax!
As both State and Federal Governments continue to struggle for money, the medical profession is increasingly becoming a low hanging fruit opportunity. Poor understanding, documentation or a less than wise frugal approach is landing some doctors and practices into hot water. To be fair, setting up and running a practice can be a complex affair.…
National Health Media News Round Up (new)
This is a new section. These are the latest articles on practice tips such as patients are their own worst enemy to the latest practice financial incentives. They include updates on how the national media have reported issues from our news alert series which has vindicated key observations we have made or key areas to…
Doctors and Staff Contracts: Finally the video!
Finally, after a number of requests, thanks to our friend Gary Smith from Armchair Medical and the East Melbourne PHN, we have produced a live recording from the East Melbourne PHN seminar series David Dahm recently presented on Doctor and Staff Contracts. We hope this video will clear up any common confusion between contactors and…
Fair Work National Underpayment of Wages Phone Audit Blitz! Risk a $54,000 fine?!
Fair Work National Underpayment of Wages Phone Audit Blitz! Risk a $54,000 fine?! Practices risk a fine up to $54,000 per breach. Time poor practices who do not keep their documentation up to date are at risk. Paying above the Award rate is not enough. Fair Work Australia are randomly calling practice staff i.e. your…
Your Private Medical Condition Exposed?! A $20 solution!
Your Private Medical Condition Exposed?! A $20 solution! Did you know the Government will pay cash to your GP for your personal medical records without having to ask you?! This is now legal. Your local GP could lose up to $50,000 each year if they do not comply. Did you know over 60 Government agencies…
Why are new GP’s terrified of Practice Ownership?
Why are new GP’s terrified of Practice Ownership? The fear factor…! News reports http://www.healthandlife.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Id-be-terrified-Why-new-GPs-fear-practice-ownership.pdf that new GPs are terrified of practice ownership is more a myth than a reality. Ignorance is the source of much unnecessary fear. Clearly many practice do not have any succession planning programs in place which is breeding much uncertainty in practice.…
General Practice Business Model is Dead? A New Killing Season?!
General Practice Business Model is Dead? A New Killing Season?! How are you feeling with recent national headlines like these? 1. GP Business Model Off the Rails! 2. The Biggest Threat to GP’s 3. Small or solo practices won’t cut it: Professor Hickie Recently it is becoming rare to get up in the morning and read…
Got a spare appointment Doc? New immunisation law – no jab no pay from 1 January 2016 plus more!
Got a spare appointment Doc? New immunisation law – no jab no pay from 1 January 2016 plus more! The financial incentive for your children to get an immunisation jab is on. It may improve your health and wealth. We always believe in empowering patients to have freedom of choice through education. This is a personal family decision…
Congratulations: More clients making the RACGP National Awards!
Congratulations to Littlehampton Medical Centre and Inglis Medical Centre. They both feature in the latest national RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) magazine. The RACGP each year recognises practices for their approach to patient’s health and wellbeing. The award criteria takes into account a number of factors, including services offered to patients, health promotion…
Do you use standard contracts/agreements in your practice? Are they legally binding? New ACCC Law 2016
Do you use standard contracts/agreements in your practice? Are they legally binding? New ACCC Law 2016 This new “standard form” law is designed to protect smaller parties such as contractors, employees and suppliers from unfair contract terms and conditions. If there is a breach, this term or agreement may not be legally enforceable. “A standard…
New Pathology Pain: Warning for GP Practices: There is a price for certainty!
New Pathology Pain: Warning for GP Practices: There is a price for certainty! Practices are on notice. In December 2015, the Senate proposed dramatic changes to reduce patient pathology and radiology rebates. These were announced by the Government late last year. We advise our pathology and radiology related clients that these changes in government policy may…
New laws when employing a health professional
New laws when employing a health professional: Practices must do a background check! Be aware of the Australian Health Provider Regulation Agency (AHPRA) laws in relation to hiring a health professional. For the benefit of your practice, it is important you do the relevant background checks and make them a standard part of your recruitment…
Your doctor is being set up to fail – the evidence so far …!
It is time to end the blame game, defend doctors and provide an actual solution for restructuring the MBS, following the comments from Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley in the wake of the recent 4 Corners report see http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2015/09/28/4318883.htm and http://www.healthandlife.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TV-show-points-finger-at-GPs-for-much-of-Medicare-waste.pdf. These statements were comments on the alleged rampant misuse of outdated Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)…
Could you be responsible for the death of your Practice? Four key areas to watch!
What keeps Practice Owners and Managers up at night – 4 key areas to watch! If you are too busy to read this, you are missing out on an opportunity to learn how to work more efficiently and effectively in a way that is both sustainable and profitable. This news alert is all about setting…
Succession Planning – Will Practice Manager co-ownership save healthcare practices?!
Practice owners are increasingly interested in what we call succession planning paralysis. There are three important things to consider. What is succession planning, how do you find a purchaser and what is your Practice worth? The perception that there is a continuing workforce challenge, increasing complexity, declining fee growth rates and profit margins has resulted…
New 2.5 % Staff Award Pay Rise from 1st July 2015?!
1st July 2015 new 2.5% Award pay rise or freeze and more?! Did you know that on the 1st July 2015 your staff may be legally entitled up to a 2.5 % pay rise? Note the industrial general Award increase was 2.5%. It is important to refer to the specific Awards below some payments are up to 3%.…
How to choose a good GP/Practice and what made good doctors cry!
There has been some recent media about what patients want and even what doctors want. Reportedly, a new video even made doctors cry, see below for more information. We have summarised the recent media below for you. This is really useful and important information. We do not endorse any of these findings, however they…
2015 Budget: Tips and Traps?!
There has been a lot of media coverage and how it may impact you. This is a brief and practical summary sourced from the Actual Budget Papers on what you should ask your advisers. The two parts that we think are particularly significant are below in Health – 10 significant healthcare changes and Tax – 6 tax…
Why Restructure?
Less Pain if you Restructure your Practice Now! Five simple reasons why practices should restructure now before it becomes a more expensive headache! (For a positive restructuring experience before 1st July contact David Dahm at pa@healthandlife.com.au or 1800 077 222). Significant health reform will affect everyone. The government is proposing to extend the Medicare freeze for…
2015 New Employee v Contractor Tax Audits!
The day’s of a “Gentlemen’s agreement” (i.e. hand shake agreements not putting agreements into writing) are over….! It is time to finally take control and eat well and sleep well to this recurring problem! We are aware of practices that have been recently hit with payroll and contractor audits. This is a new warning bulletin…
BREAKING NEWS – Federal Health Minister offers your GP a lifeline!
Breaking news! Federal Health Minister offers your GP a lifeline! The national media have reported that the Federal Health Minister is open to doctors charging an “additional fee” when a patient is bulk billed. This provides practices an excellent opportunity to overcome a six year Medicare freeze (the first Medicare freeze commenced in 2013). We…
BREAKING NEWS – “David, should I fire my young GP Registrar?!”
Breaking News – Latest update 1st March 2015 We continue to express concern about the viability of training positions, that the new 2015 national minimum terms and conditions impose on practices. All GP registrars must now be employed. We note the 2015 national minimum terms and conditions wages are on average 30% higher than the Award. Special Fair Work…
Dumped $5 GP copay! It is not over yet – 5 things you need to know!
Updated 5th March 2015 2015 welcome back! It is fantastic to be back into the full swing of things. For 2015, we have many new and exciting initiatives to share with you and our amazing clients. We hope you had a safe and well rested break over the holidays with your loved ones. 2014 had been an…
Photo Gallery
David was invited to present on Social Intelligence in the workplace at Flinders University 2016 2016 Chartered Accountant Achiever program – Congratulations to Morales Espinoza Giovanna Chatting with the Foreign Minister… it was a busy year! Another day and another catch up. David with the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop – so what were we talking about?…
Can you trust your doctor?
In most areas of our lives we accept that when we are hiring the skills or expertise of others that we are, in effect, yielding to a greater authority. This is often true of everything from financial advice, to legal advice, to mechanical and car related advice or even paying for a meal prepared…
New Tax Office Warning – your practice could be facing a double risk?!
Breaking news : Watch out doctors ATO takes aim! I raised this news story with the Medical Observer last week and it made the headlines see: http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/frypan-to-fire-tax-traps-for-gps and http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/watch-out-docs-ato-takes-aim. Unfortunately, if your doctors or practitioners are affected by the recent Federal Tax Office announcement then your practice may be simultaneously exposed to a significant payroll tax…
Finalist State National Owner Manager of the Year! – David Dahm
I am delighted and humbly honoured to have made the State National Finals! Thanks to the Australian Institute of Management for accepting our nomination of national Owner Manager of the year for 2014. The Australian Institute of Management runs an annual Excellence Award that we are proud to be a small part of. Many thanks to my…
Are you letting go of your nursing staff?
BREAKING NEWS 20th October 2014 – Medicare reverses its decision New Double Dipping Ban is on from 1st November 2014!! If this happens then the read the rest of this article about what you need to think about. For some practices either redeploy your staff or start doing things differently. Let us know what you think! http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/latest-news/double-dipping-ban-to-hit-on-1-November…
1st July 2014 new Award pay rise or freeze and more?!
The budget has a number of overwhelming changes that could seriously impact your practice. Here we cover the two most important ones, and provide a practice solution for your organisation. On the 1st July 2014 wage rates should be increased by 3% p.a. For practices that predominantly receive the Medicare Benefit Schedule rebate, the rebate has been frozen…
Greedy Doctors?!
Fast Medicine puts your health at risk! Is this fair? Can you imagine if your boss told you “Your wages will be frozen for the next 4 years and your hours will be cut by 20%” while the cost of electricity, groceries and other living will continue to increase by 3% p.a. (Breaking news: It was announced…
Are you prepared to pay $7 to see your GP?
What do you think? The media has reported an immediate drop in GP visits see Most private and mixed billing practices we have interviewed, state their patient numbers have held steady. Dr Pasquale Cocchiaro (Family GP) says.. “We have noticed a slight decrease in numbers since the announcement, but there is confusion about when it is to be…
