PSR Panel Newsletter

Welcome to the Summer 2025 edition of the PSR newsletter!

Director’s message

Happy new year!

It has been fantastic to see people online and I am looking forward to sharing a great year together. 

Toward the end of last year, we saw structural changes to PSR, and I am proud of how seamlessly we have adapted and the efforts of everyone to make that happen. Our new structure, with two Associate Directors supporting the PSR scheme, has already strengthened our capacity to protect the integrity of the Australian healthcare system. Both Dr Brand and Dr Barrett’s leadership is helping us achieve greater efficiency and collaboration, ensuring we are well-equipped for future growth. 

Our External Communications Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Framework was launched in December, which aims to enhance collaboration with our key stakeholders and increase awareness and education of the work of PSR. Continue to lookout for PSR at conferences and if you see us, make sure to drop in and say hi. Also, if you consider your profession would benefit from PSR reaching out, please let us know. 

In our last newsletter, I announced the departure of Andrew Shelley in August 2024, with PSR reverting to one Special Counsel (Margaret Parker). I would like to let you know that Michael Darmody, one of our Principal Legal Officers, will be leaving PSR in February. We wish him well on his endeavours. 

This year, we are taking another significant step forward with the introduction of our new panel training framework for panel members. This framework has been carefully designed to enhance expertise, foster consistency, and ensure the highest standards in the vital work we do. Look out for some communication from the team on this front shortly. 

Associate Director appointment

We welcomed Dr Annette Barratt in November as our second Associate Director. The Associate Director positions are a new statutory role to PSR that was introduced in the amendments made in 2023 to the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act). Associate Directors can exercise the same powers as the Director for cases as necessary. Under the previous version of the Act, most the Director’s functions, duties and powers could not be exercised by another person. This included key aspects of the PSR Scheme, including the threshold question of whether to undertake a review, and if a review is undertaken, whether to negotiate a written agreement with the person, to refer them to a Committee of peers, or to take no further action.

Together with Dr David Brand, Associate Director, I look forward to working with Dr Barratt to protect the integrity of the Australian healthcare system.

New appointments 

We will continue to welcome new PSR panel members this year as we anticipate increased referrals from the Chief Executive of Medicare.

PSR Panel Member Training and Competencies Framework 

As mentioned at the last panel training sessions, PSR is designing a formal training and competencies framework that aligns with the Council of Australasian Tribunal’s Tribunal Competency Framework (COAT Framework).PSR will soon be rolling out phase 1 of this project, being an improved education platform and training offering to Panel members.

PSR will run two information sessions through TEAMS in February to provide Panel members with more details about the new training framework.

An information pack will be sent to Panel members before the information sessions and will include the background to the framework, information about the framework itself along with key dates, technology requirements and implementation information.

Information sessions

Two information sessions are scheduled:

• Monday 17 February, 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm
• Wednesday 19 February, 11.00 am – 12.00 pm.

Please save the date to attend one of the above information sessions which will be hosted by the Director of PSR and other senior PSR staff. The sessions will cover the same information.

You will receive an invitation to attend a session soon. 

GovTEAMS communities

All Panel members should have received an invitation to the PSR Panel members GovTEAMS Official Community. This community includes general resources, including publications, guides, reimbursement forms and copies of the remuneration determinations. This community will form an important part of PSR’s new Panel Member Training Framework so please sign up to GovTeams and ensure you can access the resources and stay tuned as we roll out further training opportunities. 

The Determining Authority have their own GovTEAMS Community which all members should also have access to.

You will all also receive periodic reminders to verify your email address. Please action these to ensure your access to GovTEAMS remains current and you can access the PSR material.

If you have any issues accessing or logging into your existing account, please contact PanelAndDA@psr.gov.au. Our staff will review and resolve where possible or refer you to the GovTEAMS Helpdesk where appropriate. 

The GovTEAMS support page (GovTEAMS OFFICIAL Support | The collaboration service for the Australian Public Service | GovTEAMS) may also assist in troubleshooting issues.

Conference attendance 

Attending conferences relating to PSR’s outcome, and hosting exhibition booths are a key element of PSR’s Stakeholder Engagement Framework to strengthen the relationships PSR has with its stakeholders and build trust within the health and medical community. 

In 2025, PSR will attend the following conferences:

• GP Skin Cancer conference in June (location TBA)
• GP25 Conference in November (Brisbane), organised by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)

We hope to see some of you there! 

Agency activity

PSR operations this financial year continue to keep us busy with 62 new referrals and 65 cases finalised by 29 January 2025.

There are currently 27 matters at the Committee stage. Thank you to all Committee members who are travelling, reviewing records, preparing reports and undergoing all the other work that goes along with these hearings. Preparation for these hearings takes a village and we are grateful for your commitment to PSR. 

There are 82 (and counting) matters currently at the Director’s stage. A record amount of s92 agreements have been sent to the DA in recent months. This also takes a lot of work in the background from PSR staff in between Committee hearings. 

Outcomes

PSR continues to post monthly summaries on the website regarding all finalised matters. This is available on the Case Outcomes page of the PSR website. I encourage you to take the team to read the outcomes as they reveal outcome across all PSR cases including those resolved by negotiated agreements and those which have progressed to Committee stage. The case outcomes provide an overview of commonly reviewed items and common themes emerging. 

Want more information? 

PSR posts regularly on LinkedIn about a range of topics, including agency events, recruitment, publications, and significant appointments. 

To stay informed, follow PSR on LinkedIn!