AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that removal of the Medicare rebate for synovial joint injections to relieve the pain and discomfort of arthritic joints will cause financial and physical suffering for thousands of elderly Australians.
The typical patient who needs a joint injection is a person in their sixties or seventies with intractable knee or shoulder pain while on the waiting list - sometimes for years - for a joint replacement. It is a common treatment for Indigenous Australians. The Government expects the medical profession to absorb this service as part of a standard patient consultation.
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Hip replacement surgery is usually done on a hip joint damaged due to age from osteo-arthritis. This results in pain and limits daily activities without relief from medications.
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"This is another example of a random Budget cut made for base economic reasons without any consultation with the medical profession about the cost of providing the service or the health impact on patients," Dr Pesce said.
"And once again it is hitting the most vulnerable people in the community.
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AMA President said, AMA survey of ophthalmologists highlights why the Government should reverse its Budget decision to halve the Medicare patient rebate for cataract surgery.
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"As many of these patients must wait years for a transplant, the joint injections keep them mobile and pain-free.
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For years, insurers have charged older customers far more than younger ones, in part because of older residents’ higher use of medical services.
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"The procedure is most commonly performed by GPs and rheumatologists, and the patients are often infirm with limited mobility, and sometimes with walking frames.
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"Older Australians are already spending too much time on waiting lists for treatment. This latest Medicare rebate cut means that, for many of them, their wait will now be long and painful."
The Medicare patient rebate for synovial joint injections disappears from 1 November 2009, concurrent with the halving of the rebate for cataract surgery, when the Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations commence.
Source-AMA
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