For the Record, It Stinks
There must be something in the water that makes us pretty terrible at rolling out large-scale IT projects. Think NBN, My Health Record, and any number of hospital IT projects. Read More...
Ramsay Health Care, operator of Hollywood, Joondalup, Attadale, and Glengarry private hospitals has withdrawn from negotiations with HBF over fee increases, which HBF claims are too high. The health insurer put pressure on Ramsay through a letter sent to members in July warning of higher admission charges, but when quizzed, an HBF spokesperson confirmed HBF will honour its previous agreement with Ramsay and not charge members default ‘second tier' benefits. The dispute is before the Health Insurance Ombudsman with a resolution expected soon. Stay tuned!
St John review submissions
You've probably seen the Four Corners Report on the alleged systemic failures of St John Ambulance and heard the media and political bluster. St John Ambulance's Medical Director Dr Garry Wilkes gives his perspective on the issue on page 4. Now, Kim Hames is calling for submissions as part of the review into St John's quality and safety (before the government renews their ambulance service contract). The review is to be conducted by Greg Joyce, former Director-General of the Department of Housing and Works and overseen by Dr Simon Towler, the Department of Health's Chief Medical Officer. If interested, send your submissions to Ms Kim Loh, Development Division, Department of Health, PO Box 8172, Perth Business Centre, WA, 6849, or via email to loh.kim@health.wa.gov.au. Hurry, submissions close early August!
Stan and the Medical Board
Doctors may have been worried about where their fees were heading after reading in The West that fraud squad detectives had charged prominent Stamfords accountant Stan Palassis with stealing $80,000 from the WA Medical Board...
Read More...IPN expands
Corporate GP buyouts seem to be all the rage right now. Hot on the heels of the Primary/Symbion merger, Independent Practitioner Network (IPN) has acquired Fremantle-based GP group Gemini in a $32m deal. The acquisition is a very savvy move by IPN. Gemini has 42 medical centres nationally and 90 doctors compared to IPN's 95 centres and 700 doctors. IPN has 22 GP practices in suburban Perth, whereas Gemini has 24 practices in primarily rural areas, which will avoid the practice mergers Primary and Symbion will struggle with. The expanded IPN won't match the national might of the combined Primary/Symbion entity, but they are now the dominant corporate player in general practice in WA. Gemini's Suzy Taylor will fill IPN's vacant state manager position.
RPH not burning bridges
The ‘will they, won't they' fate of Royal Perth Hospital has taken a new turn with Minister McGinty announcing his intention to retain a 190 bed surgical facility in RPH's north block after the new Fiona Stanley Hospital opens in 2013. Bucking the trend of the a slow, systematic shutdown of RPH facilities, the government has built a new purpose-built burns unit. Potentially, the new $2.5m, 10-bed facility only has a five year lifespan, but it is still welcome news for burns specialists such as Prof Fiona Wood. According to Fiona, the centre will accommodate 250 patients each year and support an outpatient service that cares for 3,500 patients annually.
Boffins wiped out
You've probably heard about the confidential patient files left on computers ...
Read More...