by Michael Woodhead  

Health minister Nicola Roxon gave strong backing today to GP divisions and their plans to become regional providers of primary health care services.  

Speaking at the annual conference of the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) conference in Sydney, the minister said the current structure of primary care was a major hindrance to her proposed health reforms because it promoted disjointed and episodic care and did not reward good outcomes.  

The minister said she was pleased to see that the divisions network had shown an active interest in filling the role of Primary Health Care Organisations (PHCOs), as suggested by the government’s health reforms commission.  

The PHCOs would embody the key reforms such as collaborative care, new funding models, patient enrolment and a quality and outxcomes framework, Ms Roxon said.  

“There’s no doubt that the highest performing divisions are well placed and ready to take on this role - with little need for further capacity building,” she told the conference.  

“Your time has now come and I am really excited that you are taking up the challenge of becoming active partners in the current reform process,” she said. However, she suggested that divisions would have to amalgamate into about sixty regional bodies and take on board other health practitioners to reflect a wider range of skills across primary care.  

At the conference, the minister was presented with a formal proposal by AGPN chair Dr Emil Djakic, which he said would fill in the details on the likely form and function of the new PHCOs.