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ABC interview with Dr Margaret Faux, discussing Medicare compliance and GPs

Watch Dr Margaret Faux on live TV ABC News channel, March 2023, discussing Medicare compliance and GPs.

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Medical Republic article – Medicare belongs to the Australian people

In the 11th October 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses Toby Chambers’ case against Medicare for denying him a Medicare rebate. Chambers lost his case on technical grounds, but this story is a powerful wakeup call that shifting costs to the consum…

HL7 and openEHR, better together

In the article, HL7 and openEHR are friends, not foes (published by Wild Health 28th September 2022), Professor Heather Grain discusses data systems HL7 and openEHR and the key advantages of using them together for a more coordinated healthcare data delivery system.

“These two…

Medical Republic article – Three little words…

In the 27th September 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses the case of Dalima Pty Ltd v Commonwealth of Australia (New South Wales Supreme Court, Unreported, 22 October 1987), where the central issue for determination was the meaning of the three wor…

Medical Republic article – What do you do when neither Medicare nor your MDO has a clue?

In the 13th September 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses Item 132 and 133 recently targeted by the Department of Health and the confusion surrounding use of these items with timing and setting.

“The initiative was a perfect example of how no one…

Medical Republic article – Where is your health data now?

In the 30th August 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses the use of codes and data storage and the challenges faced to keep sensitive patient health information secure.

“Keeping health data secure, while also allowing it to exit bricks and mortar b…

Medical Republic article – Medicare reform needs to be led by experts who understand the whole system

In the 16 August 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses the inaccuracies in an opinion piece in MJA Insight written by two psychiatrists, about the use of MBS codes.

“As the only Australian with a PhD on Medicare claiming and compliance, I am used t…

Medical Republic article – The international language of SNOMED

In the 2 August 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr. Margaret Faux discusses the international language of SNOMED and how it can make our data meaningful and precise without clinicians needing to change a thing.

Clinicians use different words to describe the same things …

Medical Republic article – Australia’s health system still in the traveller’s cheque phase

In the 19 July 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr Margaret Faux discusses that without the adoption of the international standard health information model, portable medical information still means carrying around pieces of paper.

“To get Australia’s health system out …

Medical Republic article – Reform before rebate rise

In the 5 July 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Dr Margaret Faux discusses why she believes we need Medicare reform before rebates can rise.

“So, what we have is a failed policing system where some very good clinicians are having their lives destroyed for unintentionally …

Medical Republic article – Impenetrable codes and bad ‘official’ advice

In the 21 June 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Margaret Faux discusses how doctors are vulnerable to misinterpretation of the Medicare billing system, and incorrect advice from the DOH doesn’t help to clarify Medicare’s complex system of laws.

“In the absence of nat…

Medical Republic article – Let’s bill the why, not just the what

In the 7 June 2022 article for the Medical Republic, Margaret Faux reflects on the introduction of Medicare’s predecessor, Medibank and the evolvement of that into the Medicare system in place today.

“The ways we pay for health will continue to evolve, but the Australian hea…

Medical Republic article – ECG changes amount to gibberish

In the May 24th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the five basic rules of good legal drafting in context to some MBS items and the importance of aligning clinical vocabulary when describing clinical services.

“The…

The Guardian article – Inflated bulk billing numbers and Medicare is haemorrhaging money

In the May 14th, 2022 issue of The Guardian, Dr Margaret Faux discusses Medicare bulk billing and non-compliant billing within Australian health regulation.

“Working in the underbelly of our health system has taught me that trumpeting artificially hyped statistics is a sign of…

Medical Republic article – PSR law is written so the PSR wins

In the May 10th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the litigation-plagued PSR and the need for reform.

“The PSR has been plagued by litigation since it began, particularly in the area of procedural fairness. My res…

Medical Republic article – Paid or not to be paid, that is the question

In the April 26th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the questions of whether a submitted claim will be paid or not, and if paid, whether the doctor was entitled to that payment. The doctors in Margaret’s research c…

Medical Republic article – the reforms we really need

In the April 12th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the Grattan report, bulk billing proposals for Medicare and the structural reforms that are really needed.

“There just is no point in continuing to fiddle with M…

Telehealth a target in recent primary healthcare reforms

Dr Margaret Faux and Dr Sylvia Pfeiffer are referenced in the article, Winners and Losers in New 10-Year Plan by Holly Payne, published on the Medical Republic website on 6th April, 2022. In this article you can find out more about the significant changes to healthcare in the ref…

PSR-strengthening bill sails through committee – Medical Republic article

Penny Durham author of the article, PSR-strengthening bill sails through committee, published on the Medical Republic website April 4th, informs us of the key changes to the PSR strengthening bill that looks to pass the Senate. The article includes quotes from Dr Margaret Faux o…

New reforms will restrict access and equitability to healthcare

A recent article,  Misleading VPR reforms will restrict equitable access to health care, published by the Hospital and Health Care website and written by Dr Margaret Faux and Dr Silvia Pfeiffer, discusses the impact of delivery of healthcare services when the Government implemen…

Medical Republic article – Unpacking the Government’s Medicare ‘fair fee’ definition

In the March 29th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the Government’s Medicare ‘fair fee’ definition and discovers it’s neither of those things.

“Medical fee and rebate setting is a complex business, and everyone w…

Medical Republic article – We’re all doing it, so it must be legal … right?

In the March 15th, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the illegality of bulk-billing and charging a gap and the ignorance around the correct use of Medicare bulk-billing system.

“We know that Medicare billing is pro…

Medical Republic article – how to bill, when to bill, and whether to bill

In the March 1st, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses how MBS descriptions can border on the absurd, making Doctor’s sitting ducks for policing authorities.

“Think on this. If a senior general legal counsel, with d…

Medical Republic article – Show me the double dip

In the February 15, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the common misconception that Medicare bulk-billing for public hospital outpatient services leads to double dipping. Margaret discovers however, on close inspectio…

Medical Republic article – Medicare payments: expensive, old-fashioned, unnecessarily punitive, and ineffective

In the February 1, 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses the Professional Services Review (PSR) approach to penalising doctors found to have inappropriately billed. When first introduced was described as ‘draconian’ and t…

Medical Republic article – Ins, outs, and in-outs! 

In the January 18 2022 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux explains why the latest update to Medicare rebates is no more than a breathtakingly amateur cost-cutting exercise and is completely devoid of any understanding of the law, or …

Medical Republic article – To name or not to name a referral…

In the December 14 issue of  The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux discusses some entrenched billing myths around referrals.
 

“Neither GPs nor public hospitals are deliberately rorting anything in this context. Both are just strugglin…

Medical Republic article – Get SMART, or get pinged

In the November 30 issue of  The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Dr Margaret Faux and Heather Grain discuss the PSR’s latest expectation  – that Doctors adopt the SMART goals in context to management plans for chronic disease.
 

“The inability of …

Medical Republic article – Too many standards to bear

In the November 16 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Solicitor and CEO of Synapse Medical, Dr Margaret Faux, discusses the poorly understood standard of clinical relevance as Doctors try to navigate a spaghetti junction of standards for Medicare b…

Medical Republic article – Medicare365: punting on compliance

In the November 2 issue of The Medical Republic’s Money & Medicine newsletter, Solicitor and CEO of Synapse Medical, Dr Margaret Faux, discusses Doctor’s compliance and assessing reliable advice and support from Medicare.

 
When Margaret asked doctors who participa…