Key imperatives for the success of Prostheses List reforms

MedTech News: In the 2021-22 Federal Budget, the Government committed $22 million over four years to improve the Prostheses List (PL) and its arrangements. The Department of Health led a stakeholder briefing on 25 May following the Budget announcement at which point Dr Megan Keaney, Principal Medical Adviser at Department of Health, confirmed that the Taskforce assigned to the PL reforms was to commence its work on 1 June 2021.

In an interview with Health Industry Hub, Ian Burgess, CEO of Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) highlighted the expectations from the PL reforms process and the key imperatives to its success. He also shared the highlights of MTAA’s recent meeting with the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, regarding crucial considerations for the PL reforms.

“We met with the Minister [Hon Greg Hunt MP] specifically on the key principles around the reforms process that must be addressed upfront …around the final cutting processes of benefit levels, the mechanism around the public-private differential and the weighted average pricing methodology,” said Mr Burgess.

He added “Also the removal of items from the general miscellaneous category needs clear direction from the Department to ensure that if there are to be removals, there has to be a clinician review and there must be a guaranteed funding mechanism to ensure that anything removed continues to be funded by private health insurance.

“The devil is in the detail of how these reforms unfold. If these issues aren’t addressed that we’re raising with the Department and if it goes in the direction that private health insurers want, that would be damaging for our industry, particularly SMEs.

“It was a positive discussion. We took assurance from the Minister’s commitment to ensure continued patient access and surgeon choice was protected, and that the MedTech industry was sustainable and viable through these reforms.”