PSR Newsletter - September 2023
Message from the Acting Director
Welcome to the September 2023 edition of the PSR Panel Newsletter.
Hello everyone,
It has been a busy couple of months since we last updated everyone with meetings, committees and stakeholder engagement all keeping us busy.
Early in August the latest Professional Services Review Advisory Committee (PSRAC) meeting was held. This was the 17th PSRAC meeting and the first since September 2022. We provided an update to the Department of Health and Aged Care and the AMA, which included our statistics and cases, our continuing engagement with stakeholders, our new guide for persons under review, and the Department’s response to some questions about external reviews of the scheme – notably that into the Section 92 agreements and the Philip report.
We have also been meeting with GP representatives, which last month alone included the RACGP, RDAA and AMA Council of GPs.
Our regular meetings with the RACGP and the AMA have specifically included discussing ongoing matters and presenting forums on how PSR works to their members. We are also reaching out to other Associations and Colleges with the aim of working with them and their members to better inform the broader medical community on what our role is and isn’t, and what medical practitioners can do to avoid potential inappropriate practice.
There have been consistent, regular referrals coming in and quite a few active Committees happening.
Serving on committees can be an intense and detailed process, requiring from Committee members patience, discipline and sharp listening skills. For our PSR staff, there are many days and hours of preparatory work that go into getting everything ready for you – the documents, the tagging, the bookings and the many other small things that make the process run smoothly. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything they do and the amazing effort they put in.
I also want to thank every one of you who serve on our Panels for your continued efforts and for doing the hardest part – making the final decisions. This is the hardest part of the process and we can’t thank you enough for doing this.
Speaking of hard decisions, we recently had a visit from NRL Coach Ricky Stuart. This is part of a series we have been conducting here on resilience and burnout for staff and was an opportunity to learn from external leaders in the community.
Ricky talked to staff about his experience as the head coach of the Raiders and how he leads through looking after his people first. Knowing each individual, knowing how they learn and what they need ensures he can help to get the most out of them come game day when it counts. This knowledge helps him make the inevitable difficult decisions. He also told us his biggest life lesson – “Do the best you can at everything”, which seems pretty wise to us.
Lastly, the Professional Services Review LinkedIn page has now been up and running since May and we are posting weekly. This is a trial and we will be assessing it after 6 months. The page also provides another way to get direct links to the monthly case information and this Panel newsletter. So, if you wish, “like” us, follow the page and give us your feedback about the progress of our trial.
Best wishes everyone, Antonio.
Agency activity
PSR operations have returned to something approximating normal.
Our Case Outcomes can be found on the PSR Website.
Annual privacy training
Thank you for completing the online privacy module which constitutes your yearly privacy training and ensures PSR remains compliant with its privacy requirements. If you have not yet completed the training it is available online here.
Once you have completed the privacy training please remember to send your certificate of completion to helen.minglis@psr.gov.au
New privacy policy and APP5 notice
PSR have updated some of the key documents for the agency in the privacy space. These include the documents about how PSR handles your personal information. Firstly, we have a new privacy policy available on the PSR website and attached for your reference. The privacy policy includes updates which relate to the agency’s increasing use of cloud facilities to manage our data.
We have also updated our Australian Privacy Principles (APP) 5 notice to Panel and DA Members which is attached for your records. You may recall receiving this when you first joined PSR, and it sets out important information about how information about you will be handled. I encourage you to have a read and to get in touch if you have any questions.
Privacy contacts
PSR has 2 privacy officers to answer all of your privacy questions. Please contact either Margaret Parker at Margaret.parker@psr.gov.au or Kylie Neville at kylie.neville@psr.gov.au.
Accessing material from overseas – Privacy provisions
This is not something that should be happening.
We know some of our very diligent members are still working while overseas, and while we are very grateful for these efforts, accessing files through GovTeams overseas is NOT secure and should NOT be done!
Australian medical files should not be accessed overseas, so while it is possible to access GovTeams, PLEASE DO NOT.
Social Media – PSR is on LinkedIn
Our Professional Services Review LinkedIn account has now been live since May. Posting weekly information, we are providing links to the monthly outcomes, Bruce’s recent book – “Health Insurance Act – Cases and Commentary”, and the updated “Guide to the PSR Process.”
Have a look today and follow us.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/professional-services-review
Independent reviews relevant to PSR
The Independent Review of Medicare Integrity and Compliance
In late 2022 the Minister for Health and Aged Care commissioned an independent review of the Medicare integrity and compliance framework, including PSR’s role, emerging from media attention to the potential scale of misuse of Medicare.
The results of the review were published in April 2023, and included a recommendation for the Government to:
Remove the veto power of the AMA in the selection process of the Director of the PSR given the breadth of health professions whose registrants could be subject to a review by PSR. Additionally, the appointment of a second in charge or Associate Director could manage conflicts of interest and workloads.
Both parts of that recommendation have been adopted in the Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review Scheme) Bill 2023, which is currently before Parliament.
Report on Review of Section 92 of the Health Insurance Act 1973
Emeritus Professor Robyn Creyke conducted a review into end-to-end processes of PSR matters resulting in a Section 92 agreement between a person under review and the Director, which has recently been published together with the Government’s response to the review.
Professor Creyke made a number of recommendations for PSR and for the Department of Health and Aged Care to publish certain information, as well as recommendations in relation to policy development.
PSR has adopted Professor Creyke’s recommendations in its new edition of Your Guide to the Professional Services Review Process designed for persons under review to understand the steps and duration of the PSR process.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
Any Panel members or consultants who have completed work for PSR and require evidence for continuing medical education points, please contact Megan Kilby at megan.kilby@psr.gov.au