This issue - AMA Tasmania

This issue
• President's Report
• News from State Office
• AMA TAS AGM 7007
• Office of the Employment
Advocate
• IFC - Let's talk about fees
• Dalrymple Vineyard
TasTalk
M a g a z i n e o f t h e Ta s m a n i a n B r a n c h o f t h e A M A
• Dean's Desk
• Andrew Jones Travel
• AMA Short Case Program
• Member Services
• Davey & Scurrah
• Guild Insurance
All political comment contained in this publication is authorised by R Cameron-Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian
Medical Association. Views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Medical Association.
• Medicare On-line claiming
• News from RHH
Research Foundation
• Purchasing your own
practice? What are your
options?
• Letter to the Editor
147 Davey Street,
Hobart, TAS 7000
P: (03) 6223 2047
F: (03) 6223 6469
ama@amatas.com.au
www.amatas.com.au
A P R I L 2 0 0 7

A WORD FROM The PResiDeNT
Dr Michael Aizen
It is with much pleasure that I am able to
report that Dr Michael Claxton has been
made a Fellow of the Australian Medical
Association.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he held
various positions with the Australian Society
of Anaesthetists, including Honorary State
Secretary and State Chairman. In 1983, he
was appointed as a member of the Federal
Executive Committee for a period of 4 years.
From 1980 to 1992, he also sat on the Tasmanian
Regional Committee of the Australian & New
Zealand College of Anaesthetists. The positions
he held included Deputy Chairman, Treasurer
and in 1989, Chairman for the next 3 years.
In 1992, he filled a casual vacancy on the
Tasmanian Branch Council of the Australian
Medical Association, representing the Southern
Division of the state. In 1995, he was elected
Branch Treasurer, holding the position for some
5 years. He was also a member of the Branch
Executive from 1995 to 2006. In November
2000, he was elected as Area Federal Councilor
for Tasmania and was subsequently re-elected
unopposed until his retirement in May 2006. His
Fellowship is a fitting tribute to his dedication
and commitment to his profession and to the
Australian Medical Association.
I am also pleased to report that AMA Federal
has agreed to continue funding support for
AMA Tasmania for three years. We believe
that our conscientious approach to our
financial affairs along with our commitment to
ABOVE: CEO Rod Cameron Tucker at Federal
Parliamentary Dinner
increasing member services has resulted in a
renewed confidence in our Branch from the
Federal body. The assistance will be reducing
over three years by which time we believe we
will be self supporting.
On Tuesday March 24th Dr Andreas Ernst &
myself addressed the Upper House of State
Parliament on the revised Pulp Mill Bill. We re
iterated the AMA’s stance that any processes
that may have adverse health outcomes are
not acceptable to the AMA.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held at
Wrest Points’ Derwent Room on Saturday
April 28th. Full details of the day’s program and
a registration are included in this issue of TasTalk
and will be mailed to members prior to Easter. I
urge all members to register and attend.

C h i e F e x e C u T i v e O F F i C e R s R e P O R T
News From State Office
The last three months has certainly passed
quickly. I would like to thank those members
who renewed their membership so promptly.
You have made us the envy of other states.
Some members have take advantage of the
$50 rebate when joining a friend and I would
encourage members to consider doing so.
We have also been very busy organising
meetings with Practitioners on the new
Work Choices Legislation. The AMA has
been successful in gaining further funding
to continue this process for the remainder
of the year. If you wish to have a personal
presentation or a group one please telephone
the state office.
The Short Case at the Royal Hobart Hospital
was successfully held on the 17th March. We
has nineteen consultant suites occupied with
patients and specialists and around eighty
students and practitioners having an enjoyable
Saturday morning viewing the cases and
mixing with other members of the profession.
Dr Craig White, CEO of the Royal Hobart
Hospital warmly welcomed the AMA Short
Case program to his hospital.
On 28th April we will be holding the AGM
of the Tasmanian Branch of the AMA and
the AMATAS Foundation at the Wrest
Point. At the same time AMSA will share
our AGM facilities and conduct their annual
Leadership Workshop. They will join us for
morning tea, lunch and the cocktail party.
A registration brochure is included in this Tastalk.
The day is free.
The recent Ministerial Liaison meeting was
held on February 16th. The issues discussed
were:
• The State Wide Clinical Services Plan
• The Primary Health Care Plan
• The AMA’s
Committee
Royal Hobart Hospital
• COAG’s proposal for National Registration
and Accreditation of Training
The AMA has a strong working relationship
with the Minister and your issues are taken
seriously and offers for our support are
welcomed.
If you have a specific issue you
would like clarified please email us on
ama@amatas.com.au and we will endeavour
to provide researched information that may
also assist other members.
Rodney Cameron-Tucker
CEO, AMA TASMANIA
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
3

AMA TAsMAniA
4 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
AGM 2007
The Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Medical Association
9.00am REGISTRATION
9.30am AMA Tasmania Annual General Meeting
10.15am AMATas Foundation Annual General Meeting
10.45am MORNING TEA
11.15am ISSuES SEMINAR 1
Informed Financial Consent
AnnuAl GenerAl MeetinG
Derwent room, wrest Point
APril 28th 2007
Ms Sally Cross, Senior Policy Advisor from the Federal A M A Medical Department will
speak on the issue of the moment.
12.30pm AMA Tasmania AGM / AMSA Leadership Development Workshop Luncheon combined luncheon.
1.45 pm ISSuES SEMINAR 2
Succession Planning
Following AMA Tasmania’s successful tender to facilitate Succession Planning consultancies to its members,
Mr Rod McInnes from SED Consulting will present an introduction to the topic and the upcoming opportunities for
AMA Tasmania members.
3.00pm ISSuES SEMINAR 3
Workforce Planning
Dr David Boadle, Chief Medical Officer from the Department of Health & Human Services will address the combined
attendees from AMA Tasmania & the AMSA Leadership Development Workshop.
4.30pm Close of 2007Annual General Meeting formal proceedings
5-7.00pm Combined cocktail function AMA Tasmania & AMSA Leadership Development Workshop attendees.

Office of the Employment Advocate
Agreement-making
and the OEA
With WorkChoices came
new options for employees and
employers when it comes to
working conditions. However
with greater choice comes the
inevitable concerns about
making the right decision.
Workplace agreements can
seem complex to employees
and employers, and the process
daunting at first but there are
places to go when you just
need to find out the facts.
The Office of the Employment
Advocate has answered some
of the most common questions
about workplace agreements.
What is a workplace
agreement and who
needs one?
A workplace agreement is a written document
which sets out terms and conditions of your
employment, such as your pay and hours
of work.
It sets out in writing the rights and
responsibilities of both employees and
their employer. It is useful to have working
arrangements set out in an agreement so that
both the employee and employer know and
understand their obligations.
What are the different
types of agreements under
WorkChoices?
There are two main types of workplace
agreements - individual agreements and
collective agreements.
An Australian workplace agreement (AWA)
is an individual agreement, made between
the employee and employer. It applies only
to one specific employee and almost 4000
AWAs were lodged in the last quarter of
2006 for people working within the health
and community services sector.
A collective agreement applies to a group
of employees. A collective agreement can
be made between the employer and the
employees, or between the employer and a
trade union on behalf of the employees.
What is the Office of the Employment
Advocate and what does it do?
Under WorkChoices, the role of the Office of
the Employment Advocate (OEA) is to accept
lodgement of workplace agreements and to
provide free advice and assistance to employers,
employees and their representatives, when
they are making a workplace agreement. The
Employment Advocate is appointed by the
Governor General.
The OEA has clear and defined functions set
out in the Workplace Relations Act 1996. These
include:
• Providing assistance, advice and information
to employees and employers
• Accepting
agreements
lodgement of workplace
• Providing advice on whether a workplace
agreement contains prohibited content
(i.e. provisions that cannot be included in
agreements). If requested, the OEA can
review an agreement before lodgement to
make sure it does not contain prohibited
content.
• Providing advice about Australian Fair Pay
and Conditions Standard. The Standard
outlines the minimum terms and conditions
of employment for every agreement.
• Encouraging employers to take into
account the needs of employees who
may find it difficult to get the most from
their agreement. People who may be
in a disadvantaged bargaining position
include those from a non-English speaking
background, people with disability or
young people.
How to you find further
information?
• Call the Office of the Employment
Advocate on 1300 366 632 8.30am to
7.00pm AEST Monday to Friday.
• Tailored information and advice for both
employers and employees is available
through the OEA’s network of over
100 Workplace Relations Advisors -
call 1300 366 632.
• The OEA also runs free seminars for
employers and employees. To find out
when and where your nearest event is
taking place visit www.oea.gov.au/events.
• The website www.oea.gov.au provides
a comprehensive range of resources to
assist parties to agreement-making.
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
5

IFC - let's talk about fees
In August last year, the Minister for Health, Tony Abbott, and Federal
AMA President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal wrote to every doctor in
Australia to launch the ‘let’s talk about fees’ campaign, which aims
to achieve a higher rate of informed financial consent for all private
inpatient medical services.
The Minister recently released data that indicates the campaign has
had some success.
A survey conducted in December 2006 showed that the number of
patients surprised by out of pocket fees for an episode of hospital
care had fallen to 16 per cent.
As the Minister says, it’s a big step in the right direction but there is
more work to be done.
The earlier survey conducted in 2004 indicated that anaesthetists,
pathologists, radiologists and surgeons’ assistants accounted for two
thirds of all episodes where IFC had not been obtained. These
practitioner groups have been working hard since the beginning of
the campaign to implement good IFC practice, and are confident
they can improve the rate of IFC obtained.
The Minister intends to conduct another survey in May to see
whether obtaining informed financial consent has become standard
practice for all elective procedures.
6 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
We believe a survey in May is too close to the first survey to provide
any significant difference in results, and will be asking the Minister to
delay the second survey until at least July 2007, twelve months after
the beginning of the AMA campaign.
We have also asked the Minister to include some questions relating
to contact between health funds and their members prior to the
hospital admission. We believe talking to patients about out of
pockets costs is a two way street. Doctors are holding up their end
of the deal and its time for insurers to demonstrate the same level
of commitment.
However, if the medical profession is to avoid legislation that will
make obtaining financial consent compulsory for patients facing outof-pocket
medical expenses, it needs to maintain its already high
standards and improve on them.
Medical practitioners know that obtaining informed financial consent
whenever it is practical is the right thing to do. If we can lift the rate
of informed financial consent, we can avoid legislated compulsion.
Whenever it is practicable, talk to your patients about your fees and
the fees of the other doctors involved in your patients’ care.
The Federal AMA has developed resources to assist doctors in
this process. They are available at no cost from the AMA website -
www.ama.com.au - and all doctors are encouraged to use them.

Dalrymple VineyarD
Rich, powerful and award-winning can often be used to
describe a person, a movie or even a book... but for
Dalrymple Vineyards in the Pipers Brook region of the
Tamar - it’s all about the wine.
Owned by AMA Life member, Dr Bertel “Bert”
Sundstrup and his wife Anne, the vineyard has
developed a reputation for wines that are heavily laden
with intense fruit flavours, which is a bit surprising
given Bert’s background.
“I grew up in Northern Queensland and where I
came from wine was next to metho and wine bars
were stinking little joints,” he said.
“It was only after I finished my studies in Sydney
and moved to Tasmania to do my residency that
I discovered wine.
“It was actually my father-in-law who converted
me as he had a small vineyard at Blackwell in
the Tamar and it wasn’t long after he passed
away that I bought a little hobby farm in Pipers
Brook and planted my first vines.
“The farm was a place of escape from
medicine and those vines just grew and
grew and the fruit was just so rich in flavour.
Before I knew it, it had developed into a
business of its own.”
With 12 hectares under
vine, producing around 80
tonnes per year, Dalrymple
Vineyards now employs a
team of staff which includes
Bert’s wife, Anne, who was a
sister of Nursing and a Clinical
Instructor at the Launceston
General Hospital, his son Chris
and sister-in-law Jill Mitchell.
While Bert officially retired
from medicine in 1998, leaving
his post as Director of the W.P.
Holman Clinic in Launceston,
he doesn’t have time to miss
medicine as he is kept busy
as Chief Executive of the
business.
“I don’t know what it
is about wine-making
but there certainly is a
disproportionate number
of medicos in the wine
game - it may be because
doctors are good drinkers or it could be that mystical connection
between winemaking and medicine... the science of it perhaps,”
he mused.
“In some ways I wish the business was a little smaller because my
health is not as good as it used to be, so I’m offloading some bits
and pieces, including the winemaking.”
While this year’s chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and
sparkling will be made by young winemaker Shane Holloway, the
wines will still have the stamp of their founder on them.
“Even though I’m not the winemaker as such anymore, I literally keep
sticking my nose in here and there. I just can’t help it,” Bert said.
Dalrymple Vineyards cellar door (known as one of the friendliest cellar doors in
Tasmania) is open from 10 to 5pm daily year round (except Good Friday and
Christmas Day).
AMA Tasmania
Member Wine Offer
Rich, Powerful and Award Winning
- Dalrymple Wines
As part of AMA Tasmania’s commitment to promoting Tasmanian
wines, this issue’s special offer is courtesy of Dalrymple Vineyards.
Located in the Tamar Valley at Pipers Brook, just one hour from
Launceston in Northern Tasmania, the wines from this picturesque
12 hectare vineyard are always full flavoured, fruity and with lots of
character.
Dalrymple Vineyards, in conjunction with AMA Tasmania is pleased to
offer members the following specials:
2005 Pinot Noir
The 2005 Pinot Noir comes from selected barrels of this wine, so it
has the same sumptuous plum and black cherry flavours, length and
tannins. Described by Dalrymple’s Dr Bert Sundstrup as “a big pinot,
heavily laden with flavour” this is a top drop - given 94 points by James
Halliday.
The 2005 pinot noir usually retails for $360.00 per dozen, however for
AMA members that contact Dalrymple direct before 31 May 2007,
the price is only $288.00 per dozen - a discount of 20%.
2006 unwooded Chardonnay
The 2006 Unwooded Chardonnay has lively scents of ripe white
peaches, nectarines and grapefruit leading to a fruit-laden palate with
lovely balance and length, finishing crisply and cleanly. Described by Dr
Bert Sundstrup as “an absolutely glorious wine - rich and rounded. At
the cellar door it’s often mistaken for a sauvignon blanc because the
fruit is just all there!”
To take advantage of these superb wine offers, please contact Dalrymple
Vineyards by phoning, faxing and emailing your order, quoting your
name, contact details and AMA Membership No.
Phone: (03) 6382 7222 Fax: (03) 6382 7222
E-mail: dalrymple.wine@microtech.com.au
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
7

Dean's Desk
TA s M A N i A N s C h O O L O F M e D i C i N e
M e s s A G e f r o m T h e D e A N
Training and recruitment in the
Tasmanian health service of the future
are key issues to be addressed by the
DHHS Clinical Services Plan and Primary
Health Services Plan.
With the Tasmanian health system again under
review, the Faculty of Health Science has been
involved in ongoing discussion with State
government colleagues about the future of the
State’s health services.
The Faculty has submitted responses to both
the Clinical Services Plan Issues Paper and
the Primary Health Strategy Discussion Paper,
stressing the importance of teaching and
research, together with health service delivery,
as pillars of a public health service committed
to safety and quality.
When finalised the Clinical Services Plan and
Primary Health Services Plan will together
provide strategic direction for the future
development of Tasmanian public hospitals
and the interfaces between them and primary
health care providers.
As the fastest growing Faculty in Tasmania’s
only university, the Faculty of Health Science is
committed to providing clinical education and
training, and health research opportunities, in
all three regions of the State and to meeting
health workforce needs.
For this to be done well, there must be an
appropriate mix of services and a stable health
workforce at the major public hospitals, and
in the community, to support the Faculty’s
Statewide programs.
The three Clinical Schools, rural hospitals and
centres, and other agencies such as aged care
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
facilities, general practices and community
organisations, must continue to play a vital
role in providing education and training for the
Faculty’s health professional students.
The importance to Tasmania of strong links
between training and recruitment cannot be
underestimated, and the Faculty looks forward
to working with the DHHS, by way of the
Partners in Health agreement, to progress
long-term plans to ensure the sustainability
of the health system, including the medical
workforce.
Accreditation Visit
An AMC accreditation assessment team will
visit the TSoM for three days in October
(Wednesday 3rd to Friday 5th).
The team will be chaired by Prof. John Nacey,
Dean of the Wellington School of Medicine and
Health Sciences at the University of Otago.
Prof. Nacey chaired the assessment team
which visited the TSoM in 2005, following
which the School was granted accreditation
for its courses until 31 December 2011.
The 2007 team will be small and will focus on
the implementation of Years 1 and 2 of the
five year course and detailed plans for Year 3.
The team will also review Years 4 and 5, which
are being evolved from Years 5 and 6 of the six
year course.
A rehearsal visit, again undertaken by Prof. Ian
Simpson, former Chair of the Medical School
Accreditation Committee, assisted by Prof.
Peter Stanton of the TSoM, will take place for
three days in August (Wednesday 1st to Friday
3rd).
PROFESSOR ALLAN CARMICHAEL
Dean of the Faculty of Health Science and
Head of the Tasmanian School of Medicine
As part of the accreditation process, the
TSoM reports annually to MedSAC and the
2007 report will initially be submitted to the
assessment team for consideration in early
August.
TaSMAC
During an accreditation visit, the assessment
team meets with key School committees, in
particular the Tasmanian School of Medicine
Advisory Committee (TaSMAC).
TaSMAC was established in 2005 to provide a
forum through which representatives of major
stakeholders could provide support, assistance
and advice to the Head of School on matters
affecting its activities.
Members receive briefings from the Head of
School and provide feedback to him from their
organisations which include the Department of
Health and Human Services, the University, the
Medical Council of Tasmania, AMA Tasmania
and the Tasmanian branches of medical colleges
and associations.
Since 2002, as recommended by the AMC,
TaSMAC has been chaired by the Secretary
of the DHHS.
This role was ably filled by Mr John Ramsay
for nearly four years and more recently by
Dr Martyn Forrest who moved on from the
DHHS at the end of March.
On behalf of the TSoM, I thank Dr Forrest for
the energy and enthusiasm he brought to the
role and wish him well in his new position as
leader of a challenging overseas education
project.

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Travelling with Kids
With the right knowledge travelling with children will create a lifetime of memories for
the whole family. The experience of seeing, touching, smelling and meeting the different
cultures around the world becomes a reality. Ride in a gondola, dance with the Masi,
play volleyball with the Fijians, snorkel with nemo on the Reef, eat chocolate crepes on
the Champs Elysees or swim with the dolphins in Hawaii. Text books teach history and
TV shows visual, though nothing beats sharing the real thing with your family.
For those of you with children our consultants provide detailed itineraries, prepaid
accommodation, car hire, transfers, passes and excellent recommendations for making your
family holiday a success. We invite you and your family to share our passion for travelling.
Our consultants have travelled the world and offer experience and knowledge. We invite you
to make an appointment to discuss all your family holiday needs.
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For your next family Holiday why not try Club Med.
They provide great fun for the whole family. With
Kids Clubs , you can kick-back, relax, and enjoy your
own holiday while your children have a time of their
lives. Their trained staff are readily available to take
your kids on a new adventure to have fun with
supervised sports and entertainment activities.
Club Meds fully inclusive holidays offer fantastic
value providing savings along with a holiday of a
lifetime. We look forward to helping you with your
next family holiday.
Andrew Jones Travel
1st Floor, 61 Salamanca Place
Hobart Tasmania 7000
Phone 03 6224 3499 Fax 03 6224 3511
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
9

AMA TAsMAniA
Dr Michael Claxton & Dr Craig White RHH CEO
10 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
Dr Frank Niklason & James Graham
AMA Student Rep Isuru Amarasena & Dr Paul Sheehan
short case
ProGrAM
Following the Southern Division’s inaugural Short Case Program
held at the Royal Hobart Hospital in July last year a second successful
program was held on Saturday March 17th at the Royal Hobart
Hospital. Based on Stuart Miller’s format this year’s program was
enlarged and more varied cases were presented.
Eighteen specialists presented a variety of interesting cases to an
audience of approximately 80 including a large number of students
from all years. The numbers of GPs and hospital doctors was lower
than in 2006.
This program we had a psychiatrist and 2 dental specialists presenting.
It was particularly pleasing to have Mr Graham Hall, Oral Surgeon
and Dr Tom Higgins, Periodontist, on board and a special ‘Thank You’
goes to them. In my day many years ago dentistry was not well taught
at medical school and I suspect little has changed over the years.
Their contributions were greatly received by all present.
AMA Branch President Mike Aizen formally opened the program at
morning tea where everyone mixed and munched happily together.
Craig White, the new CEO of the Royal Hobart Hospital responded.
Craig commended the AMA for bringing together such a diverse
group from within the medical community. Craig is an AMA member
and already is on the Southern Division executive committee.
Prof. Allan Carmichael, Dean of the Faculty of Health Science and
Head of the Medical School, attended as an invited guest.
Feedback from personal contact, feedback forms and emails was
without exception extremely complimentary. It was a very convivial
event, enjoyed by all who attended.
On behalf of the Southern Division I offer a sincere ‘Thank You’ to the
specialists and their patients for giving up a Saturday morning for us.
To the latter also for giving up their privacy. Thank you also to Craig
White and the Royal Hobart Hospital for again making their facilities
available to us free of charge, without which the program could not
have taken place.
I stepped into Stuart Miller’s shoes following his move to greener (?)
pastures in Canberra last December. I wish to thank both Rod and
Carmel for their help and guidance, and especially Lisa for all her
support and hard work on the administrative side of the program.
Michael Claxton Clinical Co-ordinator

Professor Carmichael & Medical Students Haydn Farquhar,
Olivia Smibert & Elizabeth Goulding
Lisa Morris, AMA Tasmania
The Short Case Team celebrating a successful day
Isuru Amarasena, Dr Michael Aizen & Dr Michael Claxton
Dr Craig White &
Isuru Amarasena
short case
ProGrAM

Corporate Services
Guild Insurance 6220 9800
Page Seager Lawyers 6235 5155
Practice Management
Esset Australia 6344 9333
Jet Employment 6234 7966
James Graham & Associates 6243 6459
Travel
Andrew Jones Travel 6224 3499
12 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
AMA Tasmania Member Services
Automotive
Hobart Autohaus 6236 9099
Beaurepaires Dport 6424 1409
Burnie 6431 3044
Australasian Vehicle Buying Service 1300 76 49 49
Retail
K&D Warehouse 6230 0300
Tasmanian Paints 6234 4788
Golding & Sons Jewellers 6234 2047
Fays Jewellers 6424 4263
Routleys Menswear Hob 6224 2822
Lton 6331 6666
Brownings Menswear 6261 2293
Pretty Woman 6334 2466
His Nibbs Menswear 6424 2277
Neil Pitt 6331 3711

In the early 1980’s, both Doug Davey and Rod
Scurrah had a vision of commencing an advice
based business to assist people achieve their
financial dreams.
They commenced business as Davey &
Scurrah on March 1st, 1985 and were one
of the earliest advice based businesses in the
country.
Recently, Davey & Scurrah celebrated the
22nd year of this partnership and whilst a lot
has happened over those years, the business
has remained true to the original founding
vision.
Today, their business is focussed on providing
“advice that counts” supported by an intimate
knowledge of the particular needs of the
Medical Profession.
Davey & Scurrah has provided a financial
education and mentoring program for Tas
Uni Medical Graduates every year since 1994.
This involves a financial education program
for final year medical students and prior to
commencing as an intern, an individual and
personalised financial counselling service
for the majority of interns. Over the years,
this has involved over 500 graduates from
the Medical School and many of our current
anaesthetists, surgeons, physicians and GP’s
still have a strong business relationship with
Davey & Scurrah.
Davey & Scurrah bring a strong team approach
to both:
1. The development of the careers of
medical graduates, and
2. The provision of financial planning advice
to Specialists and GP’s.
Customers who engage Davey & Scurrah will
be advised by a team comprising a Senior
Adviser (one of the Business Principals),
supported by a CFP(r) qualified Adviser
with leading edge technical and financial
modelling skills and an Associate Adviser with
project management and client service skills.
The team’s advice capabilities span the broad
spectrum of advice needs of our members
and their families.
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
13

Imagine being forced to close your business
Jane Wilson
Loss of trade, wages in lieu of notice, ongoing
payment of fixed expenses, relocation to
alternative premises, advertising costs
associated with relocation. These are just
a few of the obstacles you would need to
overcome if you were forced to close your
business due to unexpected circumstances
such as a fire or storm damage.
It can happen to anyone
Christmas is usually the peak trading period,
but that wasn’t the case for a Melbourne
pharmacy when it was forced to close its
doors a few weeks before Christmas. Situated
in Station Street, Fairfield, the building and
contents sustained severe water damage after
a large truck drove past the pharmacy and
pushed a “bow wave” of accumulated storm
water into the shop. The main street had been
completely flooded after heavy storms caused
the drains to overflow.
The extensive water damage meant that
the building had to be completely gutted
and contents removed. Only a year earlier
the shop had undergone a total refit so the
existing plans were able to be used to repair
the interior structure. Although the owners
missed out on all of the increased trade over
the Christmas period trading resumed six
weeks after disaster struck.
How vulnerable is your business and how would
you survive financially if you suffered a total
loss due to fire or water damage? Would you
run the risk of losing your clientele to a nearby
competitor?
In the case above, the indemnity period
applying to the Business Interruption cover
was sufficient to safeguard the ongoing
viability of the business. But in some instances
the indemnity period can expire before the
business income returns to its pre loss position
as was the case for the pharmacy owned by
Martin Neumeyer at Dodges Ferry, near
Hobart.
Martin’s selected indemnity
period wasn’t sufficient ...
Picture a small shopping centre with six
shops. Mr Neumeyer’s pharmacy was one of
four shops totally gutted by fire in July 2005.
Unfortunately the fire started in the adjacent
second-hand goods store which was not fitted
with wired-in smoke detectors. Early detection
14 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
often minimises the amount of damage
sustained, but in this incident the fire spread
quickly to the surrounding premises.
Mr Neumeyer’s12 month indemnity period
expired on 6th July 2006 and, regrettably, on
this occasion the 12 month indemnity period
provided by the policy didn’t allow sufficient
time for the premises to be rebuilt.
Why? The process of rebuilding was beyond
the control of Mr Neumeyer. Rebuilding was
repeatedly delayed during the intervening 12
months. Builders in the area were in short
supply. Everyone knows that most builders are
generally overcommitted to multiple jobs at
once. This was the case for this project.
Through no fault of Mr Neumeyer or his
insurer, this meant that his selected indemnity
period fell short of the period required for
the landlord to reinstate the buildings and
ultimately allow the business’ income to return
to pre fire levels.
... and the pharmacy
couldn’t be relocated
No premises were vacant for lease in the
immediate locality so the pharmacy couldn’t
be relocated to resume normal trading.
Temporary walls had to be constructed within
the shell of the burnt out building, which
reduced the floor area considerably. Lack of
floor space meant there were no consulting
areas, no proper departments or signage. Mr
Neumeyer had to dramatically reduce the
amount of stock available, which also lowered
takings.
Apart from the obvious inconveniences, a
significant challenge was being forced to
conduct business in a temporary structure
within an existing premises. Regular customers
- especially the elderly - were bothered by
the makeshift operating conditions and were
inconvenienced by not being able to use a
consulting area when having prescriptions filled
or seeking advice. As with many businesses,
pharmacies rely on their location and repeat
customers, both of which can be jeopardised
if disaster strikes.
Picking up the pieces
The challenges outlined in these loss situations
are encountered in every major claim. In
extremely stressful circumstances, business
owners often have to spend considerable
time saving their business, project managing
the reconstruction or repair of their destroyed
or damaged property, and then manage their
insurance claim. They must continue to pay
fixed expenses (interest payments on loans,
lease payments on property, equipment or
vehicles, wages to key employees, rates, phone
bills, etc.) even if their income stream has been
temporarily interrupted or halted.
A quick survival checklist
After reading about these case studies, ask
yourself these questions. If you were faced
with a significant or total loss situation, i.e. fire:
• How quickly could you re-establish your
business in a nearby location?
• Would you be able to find another premises
easily accessible by your customers?
• How long would it take to fully regain a
level of trading experienced prior to the
loss?
• How quickly could you replace the
specialised equipment required to operate
your business?
How to prevent this
happening to you
Before any loss occurs it is vitally important
for you to have the right type of insurance
protection to suit your needs. It is essential
for you to provide accurate income and gross
profit figures and allow for any anticipated
growth trends when you take out business
interruption cover. Additionally, give serious
consideration to selecting an appropriate
indemnity period that suits your specific
circumstances - the length of time you choose
could make or break your business.
Guild can provide expert advice on business
insurance that is tailored specifically to meet
your individual needs. Make sure your business
will survive if you are forced to temporarily
close your doors. Contact Guild today on 1800
810 213 because, when the worst happens,
we’re the best there is.
Guild Insurance Limited AFSL No 233791

Improved
Medicare
On-Line
Claiming
System.
The benefits of the new system will provide an easy and efficient
payment process for both patients and medical practices.
The process for a patient paid claim will be as follows:
1. Following consultation with a GP, patient pays account in the normal manner (ie.
credit card, eftpos or cash).
2. Patient Medicare card is swiped through eftpos device. Medicare Australia
verifies in real-time the item, the patient and concession status while submitting
the claim details.
3. Patient swipes personal bankcard using eftpos device and a bank switch
facilitates payment of the patient rebate directly to patient bank account.
4. Patient receipt is printed as confirmation of the transaction.
The claiming process takes place in real-time. The patient is out of pocket for the full
amount only for the time the transaction take place which is virtually instanteous.
When the patient departs the surgery, the rebate has already been deposited
in their bank account. We believe this will ultimately contribute to reducing the
number of “unpaid” accounts.
Julia Nesbitt
Federal AMA
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
15

News from
FOuNDATION PROVIDING OVER
$500,000 FOR RESEARCH IN 2007
The Research Foundation will be providing
its largest ever funding pool for local medical
research during the course of this year.
The funding provided will continue to build
the scale of the State’s research infrastructure,
contribute to increasing the research profiles
of a number of senior investigators, and
strengthen the ties between the Foundation,
the University’s Medical School and the
Menzies Research Institute.
During 2007 the Foundation’s three postdoctoral
research fellowships will be
continued, with significant benefits to research
in the areas of Parkinson’s disease and cystic
fibrosis. Four National Health and Medical
Researchers Jo & Charles
16 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
Research level projects will also be provided
with support to continue their work and
pursuit of higher funding, as will a number of
new projects involving clinical research at the
hospital, and a starter project looking at the
role of vitamin D in auto-immune diseases.
The Foundation will also be formalising
arrangements with our colleagues at the
Menzies Institute through the establishment
of employment relationships between the
Foundation and the Institute. The Menzies will
employ and supervise researchers employed
directly by funding from the Research
Foundation, thereby streamlining the processes
for the conduct and monitoring of first class
medical and scientific research in Tasmania.
We are also moving quickly to establish another
two post-doctoral research fellowships of three
years duration through the generous support
of a Tasmanian family. This is an exciting and
very welcome development - more on this as
the details are put in place.
The Royal Hobart Hospital exists for two
simple purposes, to raise the profile of medical
research in the Tasmanian community, and to
raise the funds to ensure that such research
can continue unabated in the pursuit of
improved treatment of patients in Tasmanian
hospitals and beyond.
If you would like to know how you can play
a small part in supporting our work, please
see the brief article below, or give us a call on
6222 8088 and we can provide assistance.
DOCTORS FOR RESEARCH?
As mentioned in the last issue of TasTalk, the
Foundation has written to every doctor in
Southern Tasmania, seeking modest support
for our direct contributions scheme.
Thankyou to those who have responded
quickly and become members of RSVP - the
Foundation’s Research Support Volunteers’ Plan.
Please take a moment to review the letter we
sent you, and if for some reason you didn’t
receive yours, please let us know and we’ll
provide you with the necessary paperwork
to bring you into this affordable and very
rewarding direct support of the Foundation’s
ongoing work.
Tony Reidy
Executive Director

Purchasing your own practice?
Craig Spiegel is a specialised
consultant with Experien
Medical Finance.
Experien is the only independent
specialist financier to the
medical professions.
Contact Craig today on
(03) 9699 222 or
craig.spiegel@experien.com.au
for all your practice and
business finance needs.
What are your options?
Purchasing your own practice is one of the
largest financial and personal commitments you
will make and should be an exciting step in your
professional career. When choosing how best
to finance the venture, consider your options
carefully as there may be substantial cash flow
and tax consequences if the best structure is not
applied.
There are many options available to fund a
practice including:
- Purchase using the practice as security;
- Purchase using real estate as security;
- Vendor finance;
using the practice as security
A common method of purchase is a loan using
the practice as security. The advantage of this is
you do not need any other additional security.
This is usually only available from specialized
lenders such as Experien.
This loan may be split into a goodwill loan to
finance the goodwill and a lease to finance the
equipment. A short lease on the equipment is
usually desirable as the equipment has a finite
lifespan, however the goodwill loan can be taken
on longer terms.
The difference in deductibility between a lease
and loan is substantial and will have a major
effect on cash flow. The lease is usually fully tax
deductible and treated like any other expense.
Only the interest portion of the goodwill loan
is deductible.
Purchase using real estate as security
Using real estate as security may be similar to a
practice loan, but the rate may be lower as the
security is property. The main issues using this
option are:
- Your home is now tied into your practice
debt limiting personal options eg future
home renovations
- The ATO may disallow interest deductions
if personal and business debt has not been
sufficiently delineated
- You may have substantially reduced your
ability to raise funds for other investment
opportunities damaging your wealth creation
strategy.
Vendor Finance
This is used occasionally as usually the vendor
wants his funds at settlement. Typically the
vendor will provide finance for a period of time
at an agreed interest rate. This option is mostly
used as an interim measure and is often the most
expensive option.
When considering purchasing a practice, make
sure your financier works through all the issues
and options to ensure you have sufficient cash
flow to enjoy your purchase and to suit your
personal circumstances. In addition you should
be given a choice of what security to use to
ensure you achieve the optimal balance between
the security used and cost of the loan. Using
a specialist financier will ensure all options are
available to you.
Craig Spiegel
Victoria & Tasmania State Manager
TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
17

Do we want national medical registration?
Now that it seems that the concept of an overarching health registration
board is likely to be dropped, attention may be directed back to national
medical registration. The alternative is a driver’s license like arrangements
which allows doctors to practice in another State: what more of value
would national medical registration achieve?
For doctors who live near the Murray River, it is certainly a nuisance
to register in two states and additional expense is involved but the
complex arrangements promoted by COAG would be more expensive
for everyone! Certainly the need to do something about medical
registration could not be compared with the need to act decisively with
respect to the Murray’s water!
It is not established that the registration process in any State is inferior to
that in any other - difficulties have arisen largely because of government
interference aimed at attracting doctors.
As surgeons and other specialists are already accredited nation wide by
their specialist colleges, for surgeons, obtaining registration in another
state is seldom more than an administrative exercise. However, even
doctors who do not belong to a nationally organised body seldom find
it difficult to transfer to another State.
The Australian Medical Council is the best body to oversee the
accreditation of surgeons and other doctors. For surgeons, accreditation
is by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the medical advisory
committees of public and private hospitals which carefully monitor the
performance of all proceduralists. Other accreditation arrangements
apply to other groups of doctors.
1 TA S T a l k A P R I L 2 0 0 7
L e t t e r t o t h e e d i t o r
The complexity of “mapping” and then changing all of the legislation
which relates to medical registration and health services in every state
and territory does not appear to be fully appreciated. The States and
Territories have never reached consensus on matters as complex and
contentious as medical registration and accreditation - the Association
doubts that they ever would!
Having been directly involved in the discussions from the outset, the
Australian Association of Surgeons has reluctantly formed the view that
the potential benefits of national medical registration, when compared
with the dangers of attempting to complete the necessary legislative and
administrative changes, would not justify this endeavour. We strongly
support the further development of driver’s licence like arrangements
applying to medical registration but oppose the creation of a national
medical board.
However, if another “occupational group”, such as nurses or pharmacists,
wished to establish a national registration board, perhaps the States
should help them do so?
John A Buntine
President
Australian Association of Surgeons
My contact details are:-
John A Buntine. 13 Cornell Street, Camberwell Vic 3124
Telephone: 03 9888 4666 Mobile: 0425 707 411
Australian Military Medicine Association
16Th AnnuAl ConferenCe
19-21 OctOber 2007, MelbOurne, VictOria
The 16th Annual Australian Military Medicine Association Conference will be held at the
Sebel Albert Park (formerly Carlton Crest) Melbourne, Victoria from 19-21 October 2007.
The Keynote speaker is Prof Simon Wessely, Epidemiological and Liaison Psychiatry,
King’s College London; Head, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry
and Director, King’s Centre for Military Health Research.
For further information, including call for papers and registration, please visit the AMMA
website at www.amma.asn.au or contact the AMMA Secretariat on 03 6234 7844.

Experien is a specialist finance company, offering a full range of financial
products specifically created for healthcare professionals.
We provide unique finance for:
Equipment, Fitout & Motor Vehicles
Goodwill & Practice Purchase Loans
Income Protection / Life Insurance
Fitting out or purchasing a practice?
All finance is subject to standard credit approval, terms and conditions
This is the only kind of red tape
you’ll find at experien.
Home Loans up to 100%
Commercial Property Finance up to 100%
Professional OverDraft (e-POD) without ongoing fees
1300 131 141 Australia Wide www.experien.com.au NSW QLD SA VIC WA

By comparing your current rates with MDAV’s premiums, you could
enjoy comprehensive insurance that offers significant cost savings.
You will also benefit from a range of membership benefits, including
personal support, for times of intense stress and anxiety, a 24 hour
medico-legal service and a free medico-legal guide.
Before you renew your medical defence cover, get an online quick
quote at www.mdav.org/quickquote or call 13 MDAV (13 6328).
The Medical Defence Association of Victoria Ltd. ABN 59 004 046 379. Insurance Policies are underwritten
by Professional Indemnity Insurance Company Australia Pty Ltd (PIICA) ABN 53 007 383 137 AFS License
No 238509. This material does not take into account your personal needs or financial circumstances
and you should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before acquiring any products.
You can obtain a copy by visiting our website at www.mdav.org
MDAV3742
Get an online quick quote at
www.mdav.org or call 13 MDAV