Page 2112 - Week 07 - Thursday, 17 June 1993

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of the schedule fee (depending on the service rendered to the patient) for the use of hospital facilities for the private patient. If the net revenue raised is greater than 25% of the staff specialists base salary, up to an additional 10% may be paid to the practitioner to cover private practice expenses and professional indemnity premiums. Any further revenue earned by the practitioner is retained by the hospital private practice fund which is administered in accordance with the private practice agreement. All billing of patients is done by the hospital and not by the specialist.

(2) As noted in (1), no salaried specialists earn amounts greater than either 16% or

35% of their base salary. Any revenue generated above these amounts is retained

by the hospital.

(3) The arrangements described in (1) apply to private practice performed in ACT

Health facilities -and hence the specialists are available for treatment of other

patients. Some specialists employed during the 1980s were granted the right to

practise outside the hospital, independent of the above schemes, for-up to one day

per week. The hospital managers who granted this privilege were satisfied that

other specialist staff were available to cover hospital activities.

(4) Private patients of salaried specialists are billed by the hospital. The specialist is

then reimbursed by the hospital as described in (1) above. The terms of the private

practice agreement prevent the hospital paying the practitioner in excess of their

entitlements.

(5) See (4).

As at 28 April 1993 the value of the Private Practice Hospital Account was $6,921,788.42.

Payments from the Private Practice Hospital Account shall only be made for the following purposes, as detailed in section 11.1 of the private practice agreement:

(a) for the payment to full-time employed hospital staff, or research staff

employed on a grant or allowance in the Hospital, of travel grants and other

expenses necessarily incurred or to be incurred in connection with

conference and study leave in the course of travelling or residing overseas

for the purpose of increasing their professional knowledge or skill,

for reimbursement of expenses of visiting lecturers and other dignitaries invited to the hospital where the Hospital Account is maintained,

directly related to the practise of medicine in the hospital where the

Hospital Account is maintained,

(d) for funding medical research,

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