If the major parties can agree on funding general practice and lifting bulk-billing rates, then surely they can agree on funding digital health infrastructure and bipartisan policies on AI in healthcare?
Last weekend, the Labor Government made a significant pre-election announcement, with Prime Minister Albanese committing $8.5 billion over four years to fund 18 million more bulk-billed GP consultations and have nine out of 10 GP visits free from out-of-pocket costs by 2030.
The president of the federal Australian Medical Association, Dr Danielle McMullen, told the media this represented “the largest announcement of funding for general practice since the advent of Medicare”.
The AMA praised Labor’s initiatives, which included announcements on extra medical training places, additional incentives to select general practice as a career, and paid parental leave and study leave for general practice trainees.
The Royal Australian College of GPs also welcomed the government’s commitments and incentives; RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said the size of the government’s investment meant it understood the critical need to make the general practice workforce sustainable.
Labor’s massive investment in general practice was immediately matched by the Opposition. Mr Dutton announced that a Coalition government would “match the $8.5 billion investment into Medicare dollar-for-dollar”.
Leaving aside the election rhetoric of the two major parties, what is significant here is the bipartisan approach to funding general practice.
Of course, this is all political. Of course, this is about which party can use health policy to their best electoral advantage. Of course, we are seeing these announcements to position themselves as the party voters can trust to look after their health.
The digital health sector now has an opportunity to capitalise on this sudden outbreak of policy agreement.
If Labor and the Coalition can agree on funding general practice and lifting bulk-billing rates, then surely, they can agree on funding digital health infrastructure and bipartisan policies on AI in healthcare?
The massive funding boost promised for general practice will benefit millions of patients. Yet making GP visits more affordable is only part of the reforms needed in healthcare.
The Prime Minister and Opposition leader need to make further commitments.
AIDH wants (we can’t demand it, but we’d like to) this bipartisan commitment to Medicare extended to digital health. We want both major political parties to offer similar commitments to continue to properly fund and resource digital health.
A non-partisan policy approach to digital health will significantly help overcome the stop-start funding cycles and federal-state divides that hinder health reform in Australia. Fragmentation, inequity, and cybersecurity are key challenges; made more difficult because we lack standardisation and the seamless integration across platforms and jurisdictions.
Both Labor and the Coalition recognise the importance of workforce stability and funding to maintain primary care access and affordability. They must bring this same mindset to digital health – a longer but equally beneficial investment.
Whomever governs after the next election must commit to ongoing funding for key Australian Digital Health Agency’s initiatives, particularly the health information exchange.
They must commit to enacting robust and workable legislative frameworks for the safe, efficient, transparent, equitable and ethical use of AI and digital health technologies.
These two commitments alone will go a long way to ensuring Australia keeps pace with technological advancements.
Our message to the political parties is that although bulk billing and hospital waiting times are the most often cited benchmarks by which health services are measured, they are just one indicator of the health of the health system.
If you must repeatedly see a GP for health data and information that can be provided digitally, then reducing the cost of GP consults is only part of the reforms needed.
If hospitals see you more quickly, but once inside administration and routine tasks have not adapted to innovative and safe use of AI and digital technologies then again, this is only partial reform.
Investing in general practice is essential to maintaining a world-leading health system; but for Australia to implement digital health policies that continuously improve our health systems, investments and ongoing resourcing to vital digital health initiatives must continue, irrespective of which political party is governing.
Related
There is substantial investment and activity happening in Australia’s health system, and these advancements are being driven by digital health solutions. From an administrative and clinical point of view, the benefits from digital health are significant.
Patients want better health outcomes from the safe, transparent and ethical sharing of information, and from advanced diagnostic and therapeutic care which AI and digital health can provide.
Clinicians can save time and alleviate unnecessary workforce burdens from appropriately used technologies.
Investing in digital health infrastructure and building world’s best guardrails will see massive benefits to general practice and patient care.
It is critical that governments establish trusted and safe AI use in healthcare. Trust and confidence in the safe and ethical use of AI and patient data is fundamental to Australia’s transformation to a digitally enabled health system.
The AIDH will always support initiatives that build interoperable, robust and secure health data exchange systems and improve the health system and outcomes for practitioners and patients.
We welcomed the bipartisan approach to Medicare and bulk billing, as we welcomed the Labor government’s blueprint and strategy for the next decade. We support the focus on building capability and capacity of the healthcare workforce.
If Labor and the Coalition can agree on investing in our doctors, then they should also agree on investing in the infrastructure, workforce training and AI regulations that underpin a modern digitally enabled, healthcare system.
Anja Nikolic is the CEO of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health.