Sports physicians crack open the $10 bubbly
It is believed that Health Minister Tony Abbott has signed off on a recommendation that sports and exercise medicine be considered a specialty in Australia, an announcement that has had many sports physicians reaching for the champagne glasses. However, they should be reminded not to waste any money on the French product until the government shows them the colour of their money, which they are unlikely to do in the next 18 months. The Howard government has managed to bureaucratically stall any decision on the specialty status of sports medicine for their entire 11 years in office. It was an item for consideration on the table 11 years ago, when John Howard took office, and effectively it is still on the table now. In the meantime almost every other country in the Western world has determined that sports medicine is a specialty of sorts, although the structure varies from country to country. Yes, it is good news that the government in Australia final recognises that sports medicine exists, but what will change? The answer is only that graduates who choose to enter sports medicine will know that the government officially recognises that they have a place in the system. There is no obligation on the government to give sports physicians parity with other specialists under Medicare and this cynical writer, who has seen them delay action for years and years, suggests that the null hypothesis is that the Australian government may well define sports medicine as a specialty that is 'equivalent' to general practice. That is, a Clayton's specialty, which is how it treats sports medicine at the moment. The big issues at the moment are: (1) Career path for graduates, which has certainly improved with this announcement (2) Shortage of sports physicians (and sports medicine trained GPs) in Australia, which has still not been addressed by this government (3) Low rebates for sports medicine services, which again has not been addressed at all by this annoucement. The government rebates for rehab medicine, probably the field most similar to sports medicine, are 40-50% higher. There is no indication that this will change, so patients will face big out of pockets. (4) Patient access to MRI scans when referred by sports physicians. Again, there is no indication that this will change. A gynaecologist can order a patient a knee MRI but a sports physician can't under Medicare in Australia. This is a disgrace, but it is a disgrace that the smiling Tony Abbott is quite happy to put into the "this will be looked at in the future" basket. In short, the official announcement, when it is made in the next few weeks, is a step in the right direction. Watch the AMC website for official notice. It does not change the fact that the Howard government has been most destructive towards the development of sports medicine in Australia. The specialty is where it is today in Australia in spite of lack of government support, and definitely not because of it. |
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