‘Exaggerated income claims no way to sell new policy’: RACGP President

The RACGP President and its members have been left ‘incensed’ by repeated use of unrepresentative figures of GP income, as the Federal Government’s bulk-billing incentive rollout continues. 
 
The launch of the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program on Saturday has seen controversial widespread promotion from politicians of ‘free visits’, leading to significant concern from GPs across Australia.
 
In response, RACGP President Dr Michael Wright likened the posts to ‘clickbait’, saying ‘exaggerated income claims are no way to sell new policy’.
 
‘Healthcare isn’t free,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘Using such messaging, along with misleading and unrepresentative reports of GP income, are doing nothing to help promote this policy, and for GPs and our patients to trust the program.’
 
Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler has repeatedly referred to ‘full-time bulk-billing doctors’ boosting their income by taking part in the incentive program.

‘A full-time bulk billing doctor a couple of years ago in the city was earning about $280,000 a year after they paid their practice costs,’ he told the ABC this week.
 
‘From this week, they’ll be earning $415,000 a year, doing exactly the same work, seeing exactly the same number of patients, because of our bulk-billing investment.’
 
Dr Wright said these claims are ‘infuriating’.
 
‘We continue to see the use of unrealistic GP income quoted in the media,’ he said.
 
‘This messaging is infuriating and upsetting to many members. To hear potential GP income being quoted based on four, 15-minute appointments every hour, every day, all week is just not typical for a GP.
 
‘That’s not routine practice nor an activity level that we should be basing this policy upon, given how different it is from our real practice data.’
 
The Government’s earnings figures appear to be based on a calculator provided by General Practice Registrars Australia, despite a disclaimer that it should be used as ‘an indicative guide only’.
 
‘Talking to many GPs I know, we’ve all had busy days where we’ve seen more than 30 people, but that’s increasingly uncommon outside of peak vaccination season, and you can’t base income expectations on working like that for nearly 250 days a year,’ Dr Wright said.
 
‘We know that many GPs can’t do anywhere close to this number of consultations, and particularly for female GPs providing longer and more complex consultations – that means such billing is not possible.’
 
According to the RACGP’s latest Health of the Nation report, GPs spend an average of 19.7 minutes with their patients – an increase of 11% in just three years.
 
For female GPs, they spend an average of 21 minutes with patients.
 
Meanwhile, income data from the Australian Taxation Office tells a differently story, and GP income sits significantly below Minister Butler’s claims.
 
The latest data shows the average total income for Australia’s 46,078 GPs was $173,436, dropping to $152,166 for female GPs.
 
‘GPs are right to be annoyed at this misrepresentation of our profession,’ Dr Wright said.
 
‘These exaggerated figures just don’t stack up and the use of them does nothing to grow our trust or to show there is any understanding of that true impact of the Government policy on us as professionals or on the viability of our practices.
 
‘Throwing these misleading figures into the media is also confusing for patients because it’s always difficult to separate income versus take-home pay, particularly as we have varying contract arrangements and increasing fees for many practices.
 
‘If policymakers want to show some true figures about how these changes will help the average GP and their patients, that is going to do a lot more to help understanding and potential uptake of these changes – we are happy to work with them to do this.
 
‘Giving us all some clear figures based on our current workload with the potential to test their assumptions would be a better and far more productive way to explain these changes.’
 
According to the Federal Government’s own data, released on Monday, the bulk-billing changes have convinced just 15.1% of Australia’s 6940 practices plan to switch to fully bulk billing so far.
 
But Minister Butler said he is confident ‘that will grow every single day’.
 
It comes just days after he alluded that the Federal Government will ‘intervene in the market’ if bulk-billing rates do not increase as its modelling predicts.
 
‘This shows a concerning lack of acceptance of the financial situations and autonomy of our practices and our profession – ultimatums won’t increase trust and uptake with the sector,’ Dr Wright said.
 
‘After a near decade-long Medicare freeze and years of chronic underfunding, many GPs are nervous about switching back to a system that once again makes them 100% reliant on Government funding decisions.
 
‘For these GPs this decision is fundamentally a trust issue, not just a financial one. 
 
‘Practices and GPs across Australia will do what is in the best long-term interests of their patients, their practices and the communities they serve – that didn’t change on 1 November.
 
‘Nobody wins if practices are forced to close their doors for good because practice running costs can’t be covered.’
 
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bulk billing Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program incentives Mark Butler