PART 4 — MEDICAL PRACTITIONER SERVICES

4.1 General Practitioners

4.1.2 Outline

4.1.3 The aim of the medical services program is to ensure that as far as practicable entitled persons have access to free, safe and cost‑effective treatment.

To achieve this objective the Commission or the Department deals with medical practitioners on two levels.

At the first level the Commission or the Department deals with medical practitioners called general practitioners. Services provided by these medical practitioners must be in accordance with these Principles and the Notes for General Practitioners if the Department is to pay for the services.

It should be noted that while it is the Commission that accepts financial liability for treatment it is the Department (Commonwealth) that actually pays for the treatment.

The second level of interaction between the Commission or the Department and medical practitioners is where the medical practitioner is a specialist.

Unlike general practitioners, medical specialists (as at 1 April 2006) are not prepared to submit to the same level of regulation as general practitioners regarding services to entitled persons (at DVA expense) but if they are prepared to treat an entitled person at the rate set out in the Principles and charge DVA and not the entitled person, then the relationship between DVA and the specialist is covered by the Principles.

4.1.4 Subject to paragraph 3.5.1, the Commission may accept financial liability for medical treatment provided to an entitled person by a general practitioner or a medical specialist.

Note: paragraph 3.5.1 sets out the financial limits on Commission liability for treatment.