Author: David Dahm

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

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

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

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.

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

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?! 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! 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? 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?! 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! 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 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 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! 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: 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

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)

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

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

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%.

  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

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

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

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

  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

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