NEWS 3
ausdoc. com. au 20 JUNE 2025
NEWS 3
Premium hike hits $ 69,000
Rising claims against bariatric surgeons are linked to selffunded patients.
Paul Smith THE indemnity premiums of bariatric surgeons now average $ 69,900 a year, a survey shows, triggering claims that the surgery’ s future is unsustainable.
Researchers questioned 115 surgeons working in private practice, with one revealing they were faced with a $ 500,000 premium.
Associate Professor Lilian Kow, a general surgeon who led the survey, said although many qualified for the Federal Government’ s premium support scheme, the financial burden was forcing many to reconsider their future in bariatric surgery.
“ Surgeons are being penalised by rising premiums often driven by broader trends, not their own clinical records,” added Professor Kow, from Adelaide’ s Flinders University.
The survey, published in the ANZ Journal of Surgery, found the annual cost of the average premium had risen by 35 % in the 12 months to 2023-24.
Medical defence organisations have reportedly blamed the increase on a doubling in the rate of civil claims against bariatric surgeons.
In the survey, 41 % of the surgeons reported at least one metabolic bariatric malpractice claim during their careers.
But the rise in negligence claims, according to researchers, may be fuelled by
patients relying on superannuation or other income to fund the surgery.
“ Premiums paid by surgeons where selffunded patients form a significant part of their workload suggest an increased risk of claims in this group,” they wrote.
“ This may relate to the amount of money the patient has paid for their surgery … If the patient suffers a less than
‘ Surgeons are being penalised by rising premiums.’
expected outcome, they are more likely to make a claim due to the inflated amount of money they have paid for their surgery.”
Their paper also took aim at the use of medical experts in civil cases who were not currently practising as bariatric surgeons.
“ The use of non-expert witnesses in metabolic bariatric claims is now common in Australia,” they claimed.
“ There is evidence that the use of such witnesses is associated with the occurrence of a claim but not a payout.”
Under the Federal Government’ s premium support scheme, subsidies are paid to doctors whose indemnity costs are more than 7.5 % of their gross private income.
The researchers said 41 % of the surgeons surveyed said they qualified for the scheme.
ANZ J Surg 2025; 14 Mar.
Associate Professor Lilian Kow.
‘ Start MMR vax at four months’
Mohana Basu DEFERRING the first routine MMR vaccination to 12 months could put babies at unnecessary risk of measles amid a national outbreak of at least 77 cases this year, researchers say.
A systematic review, led by Murdoch Children’ s Research Institute( MCRI), suggests that vaccinating children as early as four months warrants consideration as only 30 % of babies of that age are still protected by maternal antibodies.
ATAGI, which is expected to assess the review at its next meeting, recommends starting MMR
Dr Claire von Mollendorf
( PhD). vaccination at 12 months, while the WHO recommends 9-12 months.
The vaccine is funded by the National Immunisation Program from 12 months.
But babies under 12 months are less protected from measles now than a decade ago, when the recommendations were made, says study author and epidemiologist Dr Claire von Mollendorf( PhD), from the MCRI.
“ Historically, there was always a lot of measles circulating in the
ATAGI is expected to assess the latest systematic review.
community,” she told Australian Doctor.
“ Women in their reproductive years, as a result, would have been exposed to measles and developed antibodies from that, along with being vaccinated.”
Without this, passive maternal antibody transmission may be lower, she said.
The review, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, covered 34 studies with data on 8000 babies aged under nine months from low- and middle-income countries.
It found that maternal measles antibody rates were highest at birth, at 81 %, before decreasing rapidly to 30 % by four months and 18 % at seven months.
The team said a first MMR dose given between four and seven months produced a positive immune response and was highly effective in preventing measles.
J Infect Dis 2025; 3 Apr.
Chiros repay $ 300,000 for their X-ray vision
Heather Saxena TWO chiropractors who were“ unacceptably incentivised” to order X-rays were each ordered to repay Medicare over $ 300,000, the Professional Services Review says.
In some cases, the chiropractors did not even see the patients, the Professional Services Review( PSR) said.
Instead, colleagues used their provider numbers to order MBS X-ray items 57712( hip joint), 57715( pelvic girdle), and 58112( two spine examinations), the PSR’ s April update said.
Both chiropractors worked at companies where a radiology clinic had“ unacceptably incentivised the request for a service that was not necessary for the treatment of the patient”.
It did not identify the chiropractors and whether they worked together or explain the nature of the“ incentives” used by the clinics.
A PSR committee also ordered the chiropractors to repay rebates for Medicare item 10964, which covers consultations of 20 minutes or more for patients with GP care plans, with a current 85 % rebate of $ 60.35.
The PSR said the chiropractors’ colleagues also conducted some of these consultations, and some consultations did not last 20 minutes.
One chiropractor was ordered to repay Medicare $ 340,000—
‘ The X-rays were not necessary.’
80 % of the rebates paid for items 57712, 57715, 58112 and 10964.
The other was ordered to repay $ 325,000— 75 % of the rebates.
Both were banned from claiming the items for six months.