NIB to launch healthcare directory
While previous plans were shouted down by industry bodies, NIB has confirmed that the site - called Whitecoat - will be launched later this year.
Whitecoat will provide a directory of healthcare sites, customer service and comparative cost data.
It will not cover general practitioners and medical specialists. The Australian Medical Association argues that one person's bad experience is more likely to be aired than the good experiences of 99 people.
"We expressed concerns about this some time back," federal AMA president Steve Hambleton told BusinessDay.
"When you provide a forum for people to rate practitioners, inevitably you're inviting people who want to berate practitioners."
Karin Alexander, president of the Australian Dental Association, said the group had advised its members to opt out of Whitecoat and was waiting on guidance of whether the site would breach laws banning registered dentists from using testimonials in advertising. She said it would difficult for the public to appreciate "reasonable reasons for differences in costs". But NIB's managing director, Mark Fitzgibbon, said the purpose of Whitecoat was to help all consumers make better purchasing decisions. "We expect the site to be very popular," he said.
NIB has been writing to members asking them to rate their recent experience with an allied health provider.
Members are encouraged to fill in a survey questioning how likely or unlikely they are to recommend the practitioner to family and friends over the next 12 months, and to offer "any feedback for NIB that could improve products and services".
In its 2013 results, NIB said claims paid for "ancillary" or extras services had increased 11.4 per cent to $274.5 million.
Ancillary services rebated by NIB are dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropractic, natural therapies, osteopathy, pharmacy, podiatry and acupuncture.
"Dental utilisation has increased since the cessation of the government's Chronic Disease Dental scheme on December 1, 2012," it said. "The optical market has seen increased competition over the past few years, potentially putting downward pressure on service costs. Physio and chiro inflation generally moves in line with changes in service costs. Natural therapies continue to rise in popularity among consumers, experiencing the highest rates of utilisation inflation."
Grahame Danaher, managing director of insurer Westfund, said members were "generally happy" with their allied health providers.
Another health services feedback site, Patient Opinion Australia, said it had amassed almost 350 stories since starting in March 2012.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Whitecoat is a website NIB plans to launch later this year that will rate and compare health professionals — providing a directory of healthcare sites, customer service information and comparative cost data for allied health providers such as dentists, optometrists and chiropractors.
According to the article, Whitecoat will cover allied health providers like dentists, optometrists and chiropractors. It will not cover general practitioners or medical specialists.
NIB has been writing to its members asking them to rate recent experiences with allied health providers. The survey asks how likely members are to recommend a practitioner over the next 12 months and invites any feedback that could improve NIB products and services.
The federal Australian Medical Association warned that rating forums can attract people who want to berate practitioners and may over-represent negative experiences. The Australian Dental Association has advised members to opt out and is waiting on legal guidance about whether the site could breach laws that ban registered dentists from using testimonials in advertising.
NIB’s managing director Mark Fitzgibbon told BusinessDay the purpose of Whitecoat is to help all consumers make better purchasing decisions, and he said the company expects the site to be very popular.
In its 2013 results NIB reported that claims paid for ancillary or "extras" services rose 11.4% to $274.5 million. The article lists ancillary services rebated by NIB — dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropractic, natural therapies, osteopathy, pharmacy, podiatry and acupuncture — and notes trends such as increased dental utilisation since the end of a government dental scheme and growing popularity of natural therapies.
The article says the Australian Dental Association advised its members to opt out of Whitecoat and is seeking guidance on whether the site might breach laws around testimonials. That suggests practitioners may be able to opt out and that industry groups are actively debating the legal and professional implications.
Yes. The article mentions Patient Opinion Australia as another health services feedback site and notes it had amassed almost 350 stories since starting in March 2012.
Call 1300 880 160
Start a chat
Schedule a call
