Pathology
I recently tried to write comments on everyones blog and to update my blog, but blogger kept failing on me and in the end I gave up. I have been so caught up lately with other things, that I haven't managed to come here and update anybody. Now I feel bad that my presence here is somewhat politically motivated, so let me start by telling you recent news.
#1 Thanks to Pitfinder, Matt and I successfully conquered the lemon layer cake recipe that had so failed us in February when we didn't have the lemon oil ingredient. Delicious, but not quite worth the effort (we don't have a mixmaster and doing the whole thing by hand got quite tedious). It is a very sensitive cake and doing the slightest little thing differently - ruins it. Photos to follow when I get home to my computer tomorrow night. Thanks Pitfinder.
#2 My beautiful blue parrot, Azure, got sick last week. I went to give him food, and he was disinterested. So Matt took him to the vet, who sent him to the bird vet, and after blood tests, faeces tests and overnight stay in hospital he came home with the diagnosis "internal bleeding/bruised muscles" and he hadn't eaten at all for the last 24 hours prior to the admission. It seems he must have had a fall. I now have to weigh him every day, make sure he has fresh fruit and vegies every day because it was all he would initially eat, and give him anti inflammatories twice a day. It takes me an extra 20 minutes to get ready in the morning. However, at least he is still with us, and worth now about twice his initial cost. Funnily my cousin's budgies were in the same hospital at the same time as Azure. The girl budgie (Andy) had cancer and had to have a hysterectomy. I have to be honest, were it my budgie, I'm not convinced I would have gone to the expense, but my cousin loves her budgies and takes very good care of them.
#3 The reason I'm at work and posting (which I would never ordinarily do) is that I am very cranky with the government, and I think you all should be too. You know how they say they're giving more money to the hospital system? Do you know where they're taking it from? Pathology. I have some friends who are working exceptionally hard to become pathologists, it is a long intense pathway that means lots and lots of sacrifices. Anyway.... Here's the basic deal, this is a direct "cut and paste" job from S&N.
********************
SOME FACTS
When your doctor orders multiple tests, only a few of these are paid for by the Government.
Typically, the pathology practice picks up the costs of about half of all tests and does them for free.
Over the past 20 years, all pathology companies have had a co-operative agreement with Governments to cap rebates for tests.
While rebates have stayed the same, average weekly earnings have risen by 197% and the CPI by 139%
Pathology is critical to modern healthcare and is providing new and better ways of diagnosing and treating illness. People are healthier and living longer. Doctors are needing more pathology tests performed for their patients, but pathology's share of Medicare has kept falling.
*******************
So I have written to our prime minister, our deputy prime minister, the minister for health and my local member, and I encourage you to do the same!
Here is an example of the email to my local member in case you need ideas:
*************************
I am a GP Registrar, near the end of my training and you are my local Member of Parliament, I live work in ****************. I am writing to you because I have concerns for my patients and the added burden that will now fall on them as a result of the cuts to pathology which have been snuck into the federal budget. Pathology have had a cap on rebates for tests which has remained essentially unchanged for 20 years, despite the rising costs of living, and instead of increasing these rebates, your government has seen fit to cut them.
What does this mean for the people in your electorate? It means pathology companies will no longer be able to afford to bulk bill investigations for my patients. This means whenever I do a test for someone, they will look at me and say "How much will this cost me?". It means that the divide between the wealthy and the working class will deepen, as the standards of health for the working class drops. It means that preventable disease such as diabetes complications, heart attacks and strokes will increase, as people won't be able to afford the blood tests to identify risk factors. It means that the cost of health to the government will increase as prevention is far cheaper than treatment. It means that your government will be blamed for a lowering of health standards in Australia and you won't be re-elected.
Apart from what I have mentioned, it is my understanding that this is in fact breaking an ongoing funding agreement which was signed in 2004 by the coalition and agreed to by the Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon Julia Gillard. You will not improve health problems in Australia by shifting the money around - by taking money from pathology to give to hospitals, you will improve it by increasing funding to health across the board.
So I am writing to you, as an advocate for my patients, and imploring you, their advocate in the Parliament, to stand up and question this move, to bring it before your fellow politicians and to ask for funding to be reinstated.
*****************************
Have a think about it everyone!
#1 Thanks to Pitfinder, Matt and I successfully conquered the lemon layer cake recipe that had so failed us in February when we didn't have the lemon oil ingredient. Delicious, but not quite worth the effort (we don't have a mixmaster and doing the whole thing by hand got quite tedious). It is a very sensitive cake and doing the slightest little thing differently - ruins it. Photos to follow when I get home to my computer tomorrow night. Thanks Pitfinder.
#2 My beautiful blue parrot, Azure, got sick last week. I went to give him food, and he was disinterested. So Matt took him to the vet, who sent him to the bird vet, and after blood tests, faeces tests and overnight stay in hospital he came home with the diagnosis "internal bleeding/bruised muscles" and he hadn't eaten at all for the last 24 hours prior to the admission. It seems he must have had a fall. I now have to weigh him every day, make sure he has fresh fruit and vegies every day because it was all he would initially eat, and give him anti inflammatories twice a day. It takes me an extra 20 minutes to get ready in the morning. However, at least he is still with us, and worth now about twice his initial cost. Funnily my cousin's budgies were in the same hospital at the same time as Azure. The girl budgie (Andy) had cancer and had to have a hysterectomy. I have to be honest, were it my budgie, I'm not convinced I would have gone to the expense, but my cousin loves her budgies and takes very good care of them.
#3 The reason I'm at work and posting (which I would never ordinarily do) is that I am very cranky with the government, and I think you all should be too. You know how they say they're giving more money to the hospital system? Do you know where they're taking it from? Pathology. I have some friends who are working exceptionally hard to become pathologists, it is a long intense pathway that means lots and lots of sacrifices. Anyway.... Here's the basic deal, this is a direct "cut and paste" job from S&N.
********************
SOME FACTS
When your doctor orders multiple tests, only a few of these are paid for by the Government.
Typically, the pathology practice picks up the costs of about half of all tests and does them for free.
Over the past 20 years, all pathology companies have had a co-operative agreement with Governments to cap rebates for tests.
While rebates have stayed the same, average weekly earnings have risen by 197% and the CPI by 139%
Pathology is critical to modern healthcare and is providing new and better ways of diagnosing and treating illness. People are healthier and living longer. Doctors are needing more pathology tests performed for their patients, but pathology's share of Medicare has kept falling.
*******************
So I have written to our prime minister, our deputy prime minister, the minister for health and my local member, and I encourage you to do the same!
Here is an example of the email to my local member in case you need ideas:
*************************
I am a GP Registrar, near the end of my training and you are my local Member of Parliament, I live work in ****************. I am writing to you because I have concerns for my patients and the added burden that will now fall on them as a result of the cuts to pathology which have been snuck into the federal budget. Pathology have had a cap on rebates for tests which has remained essentially unchanged for 20 years, despite the rising costs of living, and instead of increasing these rebates, your government has seen fit to cut them.
What does this mean for the people in your electorate? It means pathology companies will no longer be able to afford to bulk bill investigations for my patients. This means whenever I do a test for someone, they will look at me and say "How much will this cost me?". It means that the divide between the wealthy and the working class will deepen, as the standards of health for the working class drops. It means that preventable disease such as diabetes complications, heart attacks and strokes will increase, as people won't be able to afford the blood tests to identify risk factors. It means that the cost of health to the government will increase as prevention is far cheaper than treatment. It means that your government will be blamed for a lowering of health standards in Australia and you won't be re-elected.
Apart from what I have mentioned, it is my understanding that this is in fact breaking an ongoing funding agreement which was signed in 2004 by the coalition and agreed to by the Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon Julia Gillard. You will not improve health problems in Australia by shifting the money around - by taking money from pathology to give to hospitals, you will improve it by increasing funding to health across the board.
So I am writing to you, as an advocate for my patients, and imploring you, their advocate in the Parliament, to stand up and question this move, to bring it before your fellow politicians and to ask for funding to be reinstated.
*****************************
Have a think about it everyone!
posted by earthkissed | 10:39 am
8 Comments:
Glad I could help. Maybe someday you guys can let me taste it. :-)
Hope the bird is better soon.
If you guys need a template for how to screw up your health care system, we've got one!
God to have you back in digital land.
:-)
Ergh, spam.
Do a search on "www.pinhole-glasses-direct.com". You will see that Sandy cuts and pastes alot.
Oh wow. That *is* worth a few letters. Will cut & paste some of what you wrote and give you a link on our blog, Bec. And I'll find someone to write to other than our local member, cos he's a Lib...
Well I definitely won't be responding to spam. Sarah - thanks, t he more people we can get up in arms about this - the better.
it's still better than the situation with allied health. speech pathology services have only recently been put on the medicare schedule, with onerous restrictions that mean practically no private practitioners bulk bill.
the end result is that problems that could easily and cheaply be cleared up with an appropriate allied health referral wind up untreated, costing more in the long run.
just to say, i'm not stirring! it's just i wish we weren't the last port of call for people who could have had serious, life changing issues fixed years ago before they became at risk of being homeless or excluded from school.
Gam, I totally agree, I think it would be fantastic if more of my patients had better access to allied health professionals, but I think the answer to health is in adding services, not removing them.
add to list of things i'm really going to do on my next break :D
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