Here’s an update on a few of the issues AMA Victoria is working on for members, including:
WorkSafe and TAC: timely treatment, simpler administration, and effective medical escalation.
Pharmacist vaccination: opposing the removal of the minimum age requirement.
WorkSafe and TAC: timely treatment, simpler administration, and effective medical escalation
AMA Victoria has written to the Premier, the Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, and the Minister for Health seeking intervention on longstanding problems with treatment approvals, claims administration, billing, and payment across both schemes.
Our WorkSafe/TAC Committee has raised these concerns over several years. While engagement with scheme officers has been constructive, recurring problems remain unresolved.
In WorkSafe matters, members continue to report delays in treatment approvals, repeated requests for information already supplied, and inconsistent acceptance of extended Certificates of Capacity. One committee member reported waiting seven weeks for approval to repair a cut tendon, with the delay worsening the patient’s outcome. We are seeking approval and certification processes that reflect clinical urgency and predictable recovery periods, without unnecessary paperwork or appointments.
Specific TAC concerns include the lack of promised guidance on billing the initial specialist consultation item alongside certain operations, prolonged withholding of payments during billing reviews, and inadequate consultation and advice about changes to funding and remuneration. We have sought clear billing guidance, fair and timely resolution of disputes, and payment of undisputed amounts while contested matters are reviewed.
Across both WorkSafe and TAC, members report delayed or incorrect payments, unclear remittance information, and repeated follow up to establish what has been paid and why. We have called for simpler online invoicing, more reliable payment processes, and workable prior approval pathways for procedures without listed items or higher fees justified by clinical complexity.
A central request is a dedicated medical escalation service covering both WorkSafe and TAC, with the clinical expertise and authority to resolve problems when ordinary processes have stalled. This could take the form of a medical ombudsman or another adequately empowered office, operating independently of the original decision making process and prioritising urgent matters according to clinical risk.
These problems affect more than administration. Members report doctors limiting or ceasing aspects of WorkCover and TAC work, reducing patient choice and increasing pressure on those who remain. Alongside the proposed medical escalation service, we have requested an agreed reform program across both schemes, with clear responsibilities and timeframes, and invited the Premier and Ministers to attend a WorkSafe/TAC Committee meeting to hear directly from treating practitioners.
Pharmacist vaccination: opposing the removal of the minimum age requirement
AMA Victoria has prepared feedback on proposed amendments to Victoria’s Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination Program, including removing the minimum age requirement, broadening travel vaccination authorisations, and expanding employment arrangements for pharmacist immunisers.
We support improving vaccination coverage and recognise the established contribution of pharmacist immunisers. However, we strongly oppose removing the minimum age requirement. Vaccination for young children is a core function of general practice and forms part of broader child and family care.
Immunisation appointments provide opportunities to assess growth and development, discuss feeding and parental concerns, identify emerging problems, and arrange follow-up. Separating vaccination from these encounters risks losing opportunities for early intervention and weakening continuity of care.
Our feedback distinguishes additional vaccine authorisations for older patients from expansion into infant and early childhood vaccination. Evidence of improved uptake through pharmacist involvement does not establish the benefits of removing age restrictions across the Victorian childhood schedule. Alignment with Commonwealth funding arrangements is not, by itself, sufficient justification for that change.
We are seeking further detail before determining our support for the proposed travel vaccination and employment changes. Travel health requires assessment of the patient’s itinerary, medical history, medicines, and risks that vaccination alone does not address. Any expansion needs clear limits, appropriate training, and explicit requirements for referral to a GP or doctor with expertise in travel medicine. Broader employment arrangements also require workable clinical governance, including access to medical advice, escalation, and follow-up.
We are urging the Department to retain the existing minimum age threshold. Efforts to improve childhood vaccination coverage should strengthen access through general practice while preserving comprehensive care and continuity.