Media Releases & News
QLD Health is Dudding Provincial Patients Access to Specialist Services
The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (ASOS) has called on the Qld Health Minister to urgently resolve his dispute with the Qld Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs). (August 2010)
Orthopaedic Surgeons back GP open letter
Orthopaedic surgeons are being called on by the National Chairman of the Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons Dr Gary Speck, to sign an open letter to Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon raising concerns about the future of primary healthcare. (September 2009)
Surgeons tell Ms Roxon to stay out of operating theatre
"Sermons by Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon concerning choice of joint replacement are unhelpful and inaccurate", Chairman of Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr Gary Speck said in Melbourne today. Dr Speck rejected the claim attributed to Ms Roxon in today's Australian "that 99% of the patients receiving artificial joints did not get the best types". (August 2009)
Orthopaedic Surgeons Warn Against Health Fund Managed Care
Attempts to force patients to demand cheaper prostheses by price discrimination of some implant products could be counter productive to good clinical care. (1.06.07)
Cutting Of Bone & Tendon Should Be Done By Doctors With Special Training
"The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains that anyone licensed to cut bone and tendon should have successfully completed a medical degree," President of the Australian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Dr Kim Slater said today. (9.12.05)
Orthopaedic Surgeons Offer To Double Joint Replacements In Nsw Public Hospitals
If the NSW government considers that there is a shortage of orthopaedic surgeons, we will double the number of joint replacements being currently performed if funding can be obtained. We believe that other states are in a similar position. (19.11.05)
Orthopaedic surgeons slashed at Sydney and Sutherland Hospitals
The decision to reduce the number of orthopaedic surgeons from 6 to 3 (+ 1 trainee) at Sydney Hospital and not to re-appoint 2 experienced orthopaedic surgeons at Sutherland Hospital was short-sighted and bad for patients who work, visit or live in the inner city and Sutherland Shire, NSW Chairman of ASOS Dr Jim Sullivan, said in Sydney today. (30.9.05)
Medical Safety Committee Must Act on Area of Need OS Doctor Recruitment
Allowing overseas trained doctors who accept Area of Need appointments to have a standard less than Australian Medical Graduates is putting Australians and Australian medical standards last, ... The same standards should be expected and demonstrated by any overseas trained doctor who desires to practise or is recruited to practise in and on Australians. (14.4.05)
Productivity Commission Should Examine Productivity In Public Hospitals
The Federal Government's decision to ask the Productivity Commission to study Australia's medical workforce will be a lost opportunity unless it centres on our greatest existing and future health problem. Namely, the declining productivity of our public hospitals. (17.3.05)
Medical Indemnity Crisis - Nice words but no answers
Orthopaedic surgeons are looking for a clear and timely pathway of decisive management of this medical indemnity crisis. Without a clear pathway, our individual surgeons cannot resolve this crisis. The impact on the public will be enormous. The surgeons want to deliver expert, timely and affordable health care. This is currently in jeopardy. Bold and decisive leadership at a Federal and State level is the key, (3 Ocotber 2003)
Surgical waiting lists - a funding problem
It comes as no surprise to any reasonable person that rationing health care expenditure in order to contain costs by State governments creates waiting lists. State governments then blame the Commonwealth for forcing them into this situation who in turn blame the States in an endless game of political ping pong. (13 February 2003)
NSW Orthopaedic Surgeons to meet over UMP liquidation
NSW Orthopaedic Surgeons will meet in Sydney to discuss the plight of patients of Orthopaedic Surgeons who are insured with United Medical Protection (UMP) following UMP's announcement today that it will be making an application to the court to appoint a provisional liquidator. ... "ASOS is committed to the highest standards of private and public patient care. Orthopaedic Surgeons will be informing their patients directly as to what impact UMP's collapse will have on them. We want minimal disruption for our patients and we will do everything we can to try and achieve this," Dr New said. (29 April 2002)
NSW Government Must Fund Public Patients' Insurance to Avoid Doctor Shortage
The NSW Government is faced with a difficult option of having to fund medical indemnity insurance for all public patients in NSW or be faced with increasing doctor shortages in public hospitals. (19 September 2001)
Surgeons Unable to Operate; Waiting Times Blow Out
Orthopaedic surgeons in Australia are being denied access to operating theatres in public hospitals and waiting times for surgery are blowing out as a result, a leading doctors group claimed today. (18 october 2000)
Emergency Patients Waiting Weeks
Emergency patients waiting weeks for an operation says Sydney surgeon (7 July 2000)
"Specialists Not Welcome"
An experienced hand surgeon at Westmead hospital has been sacked because he wants to specialise in hand surgery (2 February 2000)
NSW Health Bureaucracy Gone Mad
Dr Bruce was told in two lines of a short letter that he would not be re-appointed as an Honorary Surgeon because there were no Honorary positions being offered in future in the Mt Druitt and Blacktown area. (21 December 1999)
Surgeons Call On MBF To Guarantee The Best Spare Parts For Patients
The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons today called on the chairman of MBF, Mr John Condie, to personally guarantee that MBF will meet in full the cost of any prostheses which an orthopaedic surgeons believes is the best quality replacement part for a patient undergoing surgery. (9 September 1999)
Surgeons Warn About Cheap Spare Parts For Patients
A scheme announced last month by health fund giant MBF in Queensland to put out its members' hospital costs to competitive bidding on 'all in prices' for services will inevitably force hospitals to dictate to doctors that they must user cheaper replacement parts, fewer diagnostic services and shorter length of stays. (8 September 1999)
Orthopaedic Surgeons Reject Health Fund Intervention In Clinical Care
A programme known as Measures of Appropriate Clinical Care, financed by Australia’s major health funds, is due to be launched next week. The project aims to "demonstrate the responsibility of the medical profession with regard to delivering cost-effective health care". This project had never been discussed with practising Orthopaedic surgeons and we believe that it is nothing more than a Trojan Horse for US style managed health care which is now the subject of a massive patient backlash in the United States. (29 January 1999)
Angliss Hospital Closes Orthopaedics
Orthopaedic patients at Angliss Hospital in Ferntree Gully, Victoria are the immediate victims in the latest decision to close orthopaedic surgery and not renew the contracts of two experienced orthopaedic surgeons at the hospital. (21 October 1998)
ACT Government Should Get Back To Collective Bargaining
"Competition theory is inappropriate for the resolution of the ACT health dispute between Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) and the ACT Government", ASOS spokesman, Mr Stephen Milgate said in Sydney today. (12 June 1998)
Orthopaedic Surgeons Shocked at Tragic Death of Colleagues
... the tragic deaths of Dr Ian Pike and Dr Lex Bartram and their wives Dr Jane Pike and Dr Heather Bartram in the Cooma air crash. (28 April 1998)
National Mutual Decision to Wipe 31 Hospitals From Full Benefits
The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (ASOS) has described as outrageous a decision by National Mutual Health Insurance trading as HBA to exclude from full member benefits 31 private hospitals in Victoria. (16 February 1998)
Calls for Patient Power Revolution in Health Care Financing
One of Australia's leading sports injury Orthopaedic Surgeons, Sydney based Dr Merv Cross, has called for a dramatic change in Australia's health care financing system: "I am advocating a system where each year Medicare sends a cheque to every eligible Australian made payable to their Medical Savings Account." Dr Cross said. (22 July 1997)
Possible Link to Thyroid Cancer in Hospital Settings
A disproportionate incidence of thyroid disease including cancer is causing concern among Orthopaedic Surgeons who are exposed to higher than usual amounts of radiation in their day-to-day exposure and use of radiological services including image intensifiers. (14 July 1997)
Medicare Insurance Monopoly In Doubt
"The Federal Government's Budget decision to reduce Medicare rebates for some medical services has made a farce of the Medicare monopoly", spokesman for the Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr Merv Cross said in Sydney today. (26 September 1996)
Library
Australian Orthopaedic Association Dinner to Honour Dr Bruce Shepherd AM
Marriott Sydney Harbour Hotel. Dr John Harrison. 21 August 2009. ... He saw and heard and understood what an incoming government proposed to do with our health care system in the late '70s, early '80s and he was appalled at some of the deficiencies that the National Health Care System in the United Kingdom, where he had trained, had created; he decided Australia should not follow the same pathway to a poor public health scheme when we had an efficient, caring, compassionate one running with a lovely balance between charity through honorary attendances at public hospitals by surgeons and others, offset by the right of private practice in those institutions, which made it an honour and an extreme attraction to be good enough to get an appointment to those places.
Submission: Health Workforce Australia Bill 2009 Submission
4. The Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons therefore expresses grave concern about the potential for sub-standard training and the licensing of non-medically qualified practitioners to cut bone and tendon by the processes in the Bill with consequent lowering of quality and safety of care for the community.
Patients Denied Access to Doctors???
Reports that patients have been left without medical attention by a system designed by NSW hospital bureaucrats have stunned orthopaedic surgeons. The SMH (10.1.09) claims that a new system known as NART (Nurse Ambulance Release Team) was set up and not dismantled until the deaths of 2 patients.
The Deaf and Doctors: A Shepherd's Two Flocks
During the time that I have occupied myself with the world of the deaf and the independence of the profession, I have managed to maintain a busy orthopaedic practice and, I believe, a good standard in my specialty. I became responsible for the non- compulsory continuing education of orthopaedic surgeons throughout Australia for 3 years and later became president of the Australian Orthopaedic Association, in 1987. I am a little sad- dened by the fact that I was unable to publish the results of much of my own work because of other commitments; perhaps I was just not motivated enough.
Techno-Babble Bingo Game
A recommended past-time for anyone having to deal with the health bureaucracy. (March 2004)
Medical Indemnity
ASOS responds to rising medical indemnity premiums following a call by United Medical Protection Australia's largest Medical Underwriter. (December 2000)
Motor Accidents Authority (NSW)
New Initiatives for Motor Accident Victims - The Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) - Implications for Orthopaedic Surgeons (September 2000)
"Application of GST on Orthopaedic Surgeons"
This advice provides a general overview of the legislation and its application to the Health and Medical industries. (available as a 340k rich text format download January 2000)
"ASOS Surveys"
- Annual - Public Hospital elective Orthopeadic Surgery Waiting List Survey
- Medical Indemnity Insurance Survey Results (1997)
Medicare (1998)
The government was warned about the possibility of overservicing and overutilisation. They did not accept that it was impossible to police such a system. An opening was created for unscrupulous people to abuse the system. ... After all it is our money with which the government plays and we all would like to see some system where checks are made on this ridiculous expenditure. (Dr. Merv Cross)
A.S.O.S AGM. World Trade Centre, Melbourne. (1995)
Address: Australia's Health (Peirs Akerman). Critically examined, Australia today is a sick country. ... It gives every appearance of being in a serious decline, and but for the fact that the apparent malaise seems further advanced in other Western nations, would rate a bed in an international nursing home.
A.S.O.S Conference 1994
Address: The Practise of Medicine in the Year 2000 Independent Profession or Government Department?
AOA Presidential Address (1987) (Professional Freedom)
The Presidential Address was given by Dr B. Shepherd. From the 47th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (Melbourne 28 September - 1 October 1987).
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