Not What The Doctor Ordered: Primary Healthcare Closes Winston Hills Family Practice
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Alex Hawke MP, Federal Member for Mitchell was inundated with calls and emails from patients of the Winston Hills Family Practice who have been left in the lurch by the recent closure of the Practice by Primary Healthcare.
“My constituents, many of whom are elderly and frail and all of whom have medical conditions, have received a misleading letter which advises a substantial fee will be required to obtain access to their own medical records.”
Doctors locally will continue to operate a medical centre at Winston Hills. However following the recent closure of the Primary Healthcare Facility at Winston Hills, all patient records and office equipment have been removed. Patients who are choosing to remain with their current Doctors at Winston Hills are now in limbo with no records available on site.
Primary Healthcare is further seeking to impose a so called ‘administration fee’ to access a copy of their medical records and refuses to address the issue of the closure with local residents.
“For Primary Healthcare to be charging a $55 fee for patients aged 18 to 65 and a $27.50 fee for patients aged under 18 and over 65 to access their own records is unacceptable. An average family of two adults and two children who visit the practice could end up paying $165 to get access to the family medical records.”
“It is not fair for patients to have their medical records in effect held hostage because of a dispute between Primary Healthcare and the medical professionals at the practice. These fees are simply unnecessary. The best outcome for all is the swift transfer of records between health practitioners and Primary Healthcare’s profiteering is not assisting.”
“This administration fee, stated to cover the cost of record retrieval and forwarding of the copy on to your nominated practice, is exorbitant. I have personally contacted Primary Healthcare and have advised them of my view in this regard. I have even offered to copy and transport any records myself if they will not relent on fees”, Alex Hawke said
“I am hoping that common sense prevails and Primary Healthcare makes the best decision in the interests of our community” concluded Alex Hawke.