AMA (NSW) President: patients not seeing their doctors during the pandemic
May 15, 2020AMA (NSW) President: State Government shows ingratitude to lowest paid doctors-in-training in the country with a wage freeze
May 28, 2020
548 respondents
In all specialty groups, most doctors said they were happy with the response to the pandemic from their employer.
624 respondents
Almost all anaesthetists, ENTs, and non-ENT surgeons said they have had to reduce their procedural work.
536 respondents
Fewer anaesthetists than the average are doing no procedural work.
58% of ENT respondents said they are doing no procedural work and the rest said they are doing about a quarter of their usual.
55% of non-ENT surgeons said they are doing about a quarter of their usual procedural work, almost a third of the others said they are doing none.
A third of salaried doctors are doing no procedural work. Just under a third in this category said they are doing about a quarter.
815 respondents
There was not much variation between groups for this question
815 respondents
Psychiatrists are the least worried about practice viability – only 21% said yes.
Anaesthetists are split exactly 50/50.
Non-ENT surgeons seem to be the most worried about viability with 62% of them saying yes.
A majority of salaried doctors (57%) say they are not worried about viability.
815 respondents
All ENTs said their patient numbers are down.
Most psychiatrists (51%) said their patient numbers are not down.
Almost all non-ENT surgeons (96%) said their patient numbers are down.
687 respondents
The most common answer from anaesthetists was that they are seeing about a quarter of their patients (45%), the next most common answer was no patients (25%).
Most ENTs (65%) said they are seeing about a quarter of their patients, with the next most common answer as half (25%).
The most common answer from GPs was that they’re seeing about three quarters of their patients (49%), with the next most common answer being half (33%).
Physicians had a tie for most common answer (32% each): about three quarters or about half, with about a quarter close behind (30%).
The most common answer from psychiatrists was that they are seeing about three quarters of their patients (48%).
Most non-ENT surgeons said they are seeing about a quarter of their patients (53%) with the next most common answer being half (30%). Very few said three quarters or none.
The curve for both kinds of VMOs was exaggerated with a stronger majority saying they are seeing either a quarter or half their patients.
Many salaried doctors say they are seeing about three quarters of their patients (34%) but many said they are seeing either a quarter (29%) or one half (26%).
815 respondents
Few anaesthetists said they have used telehealth (79%).
Almost all GPs (95%) and psychiatrists (also 95%) said they have used telehealth.
628 respondents
A higher proportion of non-ENT surgeons said they would not like to continue using telehealth (25%) but there was still a strong overall majority wanting to (60%).
691 respondents
Most anaesthetists (71%) said they continue to bill as usual with few answers in the other categories.
Most ENTs either said they have been forced (47%) or chosen (42%) to do more bulk billing.
The most common answer from GPs was that they have chosen to do more bulk billing (29%), with the next most common answer being that they have been forced (27%). Those who said they continue to bulk bill was a close third (25%).
Many physicians said they have been forced to do more bulk billing (37%) with the second most popular answer being they are continuing to mixed bill as normal (31%).
40% of psychiatrists said they continue to mixed bill as normal. The second most common answer was that they have chosen to do more bulk billing (30%).
The most common answer from non-ENT surgeons was that they continue to do mixed billing (40%).
The distribution was very different from the average for salaried doctors. While the most common answer was still continuing to mixed bill (37%), the second most common answer was that their practice continues to bulk bill (25%).
815 respondents
Strong majorities of people answering yes were found in all doctor groups.
From 99% of non-ENT surgeons answering yes to 69% of psychiatrists.
682 respondents
44% of anaesthetists said their income is about a quarter of usual.
68% of ENTs said their income is about a quarter of what it usually is.
55% of GPs said their income is about three quarters of what it usually is. Nearly a third said it is half.
35% of physicians said their income is about half of what it usually is but strong second was three quarters (33%) with one quarter not far behind (28%).
66% of psychiatrists said their income is about three quarters of usual.
57% of non-ENT surgeons said they are earning a quarter of their usual income.
39% of salaried doctors said they are earning about three quarters of their usual income.
815 respondents
Most GPs (51%) and salaried doctors (51%) said yes.
815 respondents
There wasn’t significant variation by group.815 respondents
There wasn’t significant variation by group.
792 respondents
More psychiatrists (40%) answered yes to this question than in other groups.