Senate Community Affairs Committee - Review of the Professional Services Review (PSR) Scheme

The ADA considers it essential that in respect of all Medicare Australia (MA) programs that the Professional Services Review (PSR) adopt a proactive role in the provision of advice to MA on the administrative requirements and ramifications of such schemes.

While the ADA continues to be a critic of the CDDS due to it not being targeted to
that one-third of Australians that cannot currently access adequate dental care, it
did see the scheme provide some necessary dental treatment to those eligible. The
conduct of MA, in the enforcement of some administrative requirements that now
requires dentists to repay to MA monies received by them for services rendered to
patients is, in the ADA’s view, reprehensible.

The administrative requirements contained in Section 10 of the Health Insurance (Dental Services) Determination 2007 (the Determination), were not adequately brought to the attention of
participants in the scheme by MA; yet it is the failure to comply with the Determination that is requiring practitioners to repay all benefits paid by MA for legitimate dental services to patients. Resultant bankruptcy and/or closure of many dental practices will be the inevitable result. A result that does not serve the general community and will undermine the goodwill of the dental profession in participating in any future government funded schemes.

For full submission refer to: Professional Services Review submission