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AHPRA puts practitioners ‘on notice’ over conflicts of interest
Its new guidance covers financial and commercial conflict, amid concern clinical judgement can be ‘corrupted by outside influences’.
‘The onus is on practitioners to do the right thing, regardless of business model or employment arrangements.’
Healthcare professionals are being warned that their clinical judgement must not be ‘corrupted by outside influences’, as the regulation watchdog releases interim conflict of interest guidance.
On Thursday, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) put clinicians ‘on notice’ amid growing concerns that emerging business models are ‘creating situations that have the potential to unduly influence the advice and treatment provided by practitioners’.
‘This includes businesses that advertise, prescribe and dispense a single medicine, or provide hidden incentives for practitioners to overservice or promote particular assessments, treatments or devices,’ it said.
The new guidance covers the management of financial or commercial conflicts of interest, including:
- what is a commercial or financial conflict of interest
- common scenarios where conflicting interests can arise or be perceived to arise
- transparency and disclosure
- resolving a conflict of interest
- ensuring good patient care comes first.
It also includes case studies to further help health practitioners, including scenarios for GPs navigating ethical referrals in vertically integrated business models.
AHPRA Chief Executive Justin Untersteiner said while the vast majority of practitioners put their patients first, he is concerned others may put that relationship in jeopardy.
‘The onus is on practitioners to do the right thing, regardless of business model or employment arrangements,’ he said.
‘We take action when practitioners depart from the acceptable standards and also have the power to prosecute those who incite practitioners to do the wrong thing.
‘Patient safety is our priority.’
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said GPs must make sure they are not unduly influenced or providing care based on financial interest.
‘This guidance is helpful and it’s really highlighting something that as GPs we already know: that our decisions and healthcare need to be based on the best interests of patients, not driven by financial rewards or financial return,’ he told
newsGP.
‘We’ve seen a number of businesses set up that are really seeking to maximise income and have been really commercially driven, whether that be through telehealth providers, medication providers or online prescribers.
‘Conflicts of interest are actually managed very well by GPs and our code of conduct, but I think it’s been less clear with some of these emerging models and even for other newer prescribers, so AHRPA is really making clear what the rules are in these grey areas, which is great.’
AHPRA acknowledged that conflicts of interest are common in healthcare, clarifying that practitioners are entitled to profit from their profession provided they do not ‘cross the line into unprofessional conduct’.
It has also renewed its calls for information on emerging risks or organisational arrangements that may affect public safety or influence registered health practitioners’ professional judgement.
‘AHPRA is working with other regulators and agencies to share intelligence and data and be alert to any red flags that may indicate unsafe practice,’ Mr Untersteiner said.
‘We want anyone with concerns about a practitioner to contact us immediately. And we also want to hear about any individuals or businesses that may be pressuring practitioners to do the wrong thing.’
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AHPRA Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency conflict of interest
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