Electronic health messaging provider HealthLink has paused the rollout of new fees following backlash from general practices.
The new fees would have seen large GP practices charged $1000 to access the service.
HealthLink is the only electronic system for secure messaging and referrals between general practices and the public health system.
Under the initial fees, announced suddenly last month, small practices (one to three GPs) would have paid $252 a year, medium-sized practices (four to 10 GPs) $600, and larger practices (11 to 20 GPs) $1000.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said although she welcomed the reprieve, the proposed fees had still been a shock.
“It’s another cost impost for a small business,” Dr Raman told Medical Forum.
“It would be an additional cost to the practice when we would have had to then use that as a communication tool with the public system.”
Dr Raman said many GPs wanted to reduce paper use and use electronic messaging that was secure and protected their patient’s data and privacy.
GPs had previously not needed to pay to use the HealthLink messaging system.
“We’re moving towards electronic (messaging), otherwise we would have to send it through fax and post and receive via fax and post,” Dr Raman added.
“So digital health initiatives are quite critical for us and helping to improve that use in a secure system. But at the same time these systems need to be interoperable and ensure that the consequences are not the unintended consequences.
“This would have been a huge unintended consequence had it gone ahead. I think we can all appreciate where that (payment) is coming from, but it was such a short turn around with the implementation process … and there was just a lack of understanding that we felt about what the implications of this would be.”
In a statement, HealthLink said it was committed to investing in the “highest quality data-protection technology that protects doctors and patients”.
“Our sector is making innovative technological bounds at a rapid pace and we want to make sure our technology, services and support provide the same high-level efficiency across regional, rural and metro health systems,” the statement read.
“To continue to be sustainable and provide our high-quality service, we’re seeking to introduce a robust contract and subscription model for all GP practices.
“We’ve heard the concerns from our GPs around the subscription model and how it applies to practices and various working challenges, such as part-time doctors.
“Following this announcement of our intent we have paused the rollout of this new model while we explore all options and undergo a period of consultation over the coming months with stakeholders.”
HealthLink said it would continue to consult with the RACGP, customers, and other key stakeholders, and would provide updates once the consultation period had ended.