The peak medical body has released a video clarifying CPD changes and promoting its own platform as an alternative to college membership.
The AMA president has recorded a video message clarifying what next month’s CPD changes mean for GPs, and also touting a free platform for doctors wanting to abandon their RACGP or ACRRM membership.
In the video, Dr Omar Khorshid frames the CPD changes as a positive move, giving GPs the freedom to choose college memberships on the same basis as other specialist doctors.
“The good news is that GPs finally have choice and can take charge of their own learning needs,” he says. “The AMA believes this is a great outcome for GPs.”
It is the clearest statement TMR has yet seen from a medical body on whether GPs can safely exit their college membership next month without risking their registration status, and what the changes mean for CPD.
“From the 16th of June, GPs’ access to Medicare will no longer be linked to your college membership. Medicare eligibility for all doctors will be automatically linked to registration status and not subject to whether you continue to be recognised as a fellow of your college,” Dr Khorshid says in the video.
“Quite simply, it means that now GPs can choose to self-manage their CPD regardless of their membership of the GP colleges. However, it’s important to be aware that if you do choose to do the CPD outside the colleges, it will be your responsibility to report annually to the Medical Board.”
The full video is set to premiere tonight on Healthed’s fortnightly education podcast for GPs.
Dr Ramesh Manocha, CEO of Healthed, the largest face-to-face CPD provider in Australia, said he had sought clarification from the RACGP about what the CPD changes would mean for its members.
“In absence of any clear statements from either college, we went to the AMA to seek clarification, and they sent me this video from the highest level,” he told TMR.
Here is a short preview of the video ahead of the full version being published tonight:
In the second half of the video, Dr Khorshid tells GPs looking to self-manage their CPD that they can get free access to the AMA’s service, Doctorportal Learning.
“This is a customised digital platform enabling medical practitioners irrespective of specialty to track and report against multiple CPD requirements that meet their scope of practice,” he said.
“It’s been available to all doctors other than GPs for some time, but from now, it’s available to all GPs free of charge.”
You can watch the full video tonight by registering for Healthed’s webinar here.
