CEO ’ s Report
Charles Wurf | ATMS CEO
This is my final report , after 8 years as ATMS CEO . I depart ATMS on 31 December 2023 , and the Board has a sound process in hand to recruit your new CEO .
It has been an honour and a privilege to have held the role of ATMS CEO . The work that ATMS members do day in day out is a proven benefit to the health and wellbeing of the Australian community . It has been rewarding to have been able to work with a dedicated Board and committed staff group to support natural medicine practitioners .
Without doubt natural medicine has , and will continue to have , its challenges and its organised detractors . It remains up to the natural medicine community to rise to those challenges . We will do so by continuing to expand the professionalism of practice and research , and by demonstrating the positive outcomes to be gained through our modalities .
ATMS is in good hands for the future . It has strong governance , sound strategy and detailed operational management plans for 2024 and beyond . For me it is the right time to end my contribution , and for ATMS to renew its senior management . I want to thank members , staff and the Board for my 8 years at ATMS , and to wish all every ongoing success .
In my final report I would like to return to the Natural Therapies Review 2019- 2020 . I cannot overstate the importance for natural medicine in Australia for this Review to be concluded and for its findings to be published .
ATMS was instrumental in Minister Greg Hunt ( at the time ) announcing this follow up Review , following the travesty of the earlier , flawed report into natural medicine . That earlier flawed report has led to lasting , damaging decisions against some natural medicine modalities , in both education and health insurance . Thankfully those modalities are still able to practise .
In my final comments on the Natural Therapies Review 2019-2020 , I note the planned timeline that remains in the formal title of the Review . Without doubt an enduring frustration is that COVID , amongst many harmful impacts , led to a year long delay in the conduct and conclusion of our Review . That frustration is balanced against the sound and proper conduct of the Review on this occasion . It is to our long-term advantage that a simple Google search will now reveal detailed websites dedicated to the Review and the evidence underpinning our modalities . Both the Australia Government Department of Health and Aged Care and the National Health and Medical Research Council now host detailed websites dedicated to the Natural Therapies Review .
The Natural Therapies Review is on schedule to conclude its work by the end of December 2023 , and all stakeholders have been advised that the final report of the Review is expected to be given to government in early 2024 . Given that open , transparent and public information is part of the Review , ATMS members can be optimistic that several of our modalities will be assessed differently by this updated report . Naturopathy and western herbal medicine for example , should never have been proscribed from the private health insurance system , and the volume of published evidence should give grounds for cautious optimism for those modalities .
ATMS will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure the final report of the Natural Therapies Review is completed and that the report , its findings and recommendations are made public .
When , as expected , the report finds that there is sufficient evidence for certain modalities , then those modalities need to return to their rightful place within Australia health insurance system .
The legal mechanism to achieve this is with Mark Butler , current Minister for Health and Aged Care , and involves a straightforward amendment to an existing regulation . It does not require the more challenging and procedurally difficult task of amending legislation .
The most important advocacy task for ATMS in early 2024 is to work with the Australian Government , through the Minister , to ensure that any modalities that are recommended to return to private health insurance do so as quickly as possible .
Contact us for support For any aspect of ATMS membership and health fund administration , the ATMS team is available to contact on 1800 456 855 or info @ atms . com . au . Documents supporting membership and CPE may also be submitted online through the membership portal on www . atms . com . au .
The ATMS member portal has been upgraded to allow easy upload of the key membership documentation : annual Professional Indemnity renewals , renewed first aid certificates and clear and concise member entry for all CPE activities . The CPE portal allows line by line user entry of all member CPE activities with a visual tally of total CPE points . For those members selected in the ATMS CPE audit , the online portal is also available to provide evidence of each CPE activity to substantiate audit compliance .
Charles Wurf CEO
JATMS | Summer 2023 | 187