KwaZulu-Natal Medical Care Coalition

It was brought to our attention this week that there will be a trial run of road closures for the World Cup on Friday, 28th May 2010.

This may affect delegates attending the KZNMCC Conference. For your convenience we have attached the letter from Durban Transport suggesting alternate routes to take.

KZNMCC Conference Co-ordinators

RSVP to KZNMCC 14th Annual AGM, Conference & Expo 2010.

Dear Shareholders

Over the last year or two, we have had forced down our throats several new low option schemes all with similar aims and objectives – viz. shifting risk to the General Practitioner. Those medical schemes that have thrust these low options schemes onto doctors are all preparing to bid for the administration contract from the DOH when NHI is implemented. There are massive profits to be made from the administration side at the expense of the General Practitioner. KZNMCC has managed a small low cost scheme over the past 5 years and we have been able to see the potential for profits over a period of about 5 years. The medical schemes also claim that they are preparing General Practitioners for NHI as NHI will be GP based.

The focus is now on General Practitioners. They will have to learn to manage risk within their own practices. These low option schemes pay a tariff lower than the market rate with a promise of increasing the number of new patients
and hence increasing turnover. With this comes the added burden of increased administration, medicines included in the consultation rate, punitive preauthorization procedures, peer review, around which the General Practitioner
has to plan and ultimately bear the cost.

However, the administration costs extracted by the Medical Schemes and the brokerage fees taken upfront by brokers do not seem to factor in their calculations.

We believe that we do not have to sit back and accept this scenario.
We must demand that if we are to be paid an all-inclusive fee per visit, then we must be paid a substantially higher consultation fee than the market rate as this would include medicines, procedures and basic side room investigations.
We would really like to encourage you to attend the IPA Masterclass and debate these issues with the medical schemes. Your survival in General Practice is under threat if you do not keep yourself up to speed.

Be part of the discussion. Let them know how you feel and share your views and criticisms.

Prof Morgan Chetty
Dr Dawood Bobat
Mrs Kamlesh Maharaj