Primary Care - Challenges we solve
Doctors need new devices to make documentation easy, accurate and quick. Procedures such as the removal of ear wax and foreign bodies from the eye currently can only be done by specialists or at hospitals. This puts a burden on specialists and hospital doctors, resulting in additional costs and service hours for the public system. Adding to this, rural and remote communities are feeling the pressure even more, with limited access to medical services continuing to create issues of healthcare inequality.
CHALLENGES WE SOLVE
Due to rising practice expenses and lack of both equipment and time, doctors are struggling to sustain practices. Equally, patients are now increasingly looking for practices that operate as a one-stop-shop, offering comprehensive treatment, modern equipment, short waiting times and affordable prices. It is clear that our health system needs to prioritise more accessible healthcare from other primary care providers to reduce pressure on the hospital system.
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General practitioners strive to provide the best possible care for their patients. However, they are limited by outdated technology and equipment which is designed purely for examination purposes. As a result, general practitioners are missing out on billable services and are losing time on non-billable tasks which could instead be spent with patients.
It’s no secret that Medicare indexation for GPs is not keeping up with the rising inflation rate. As a result, practices are feeling the financial pressure, with many having to reduce the use of bulk billing and instead charge private fees. Whilst procedures in general practice are providing an incentive for general practitioners, the limited affordable equipment available means doctors are missing out
The average GP consultation time is just under 15 minutes in Australia, more than 20 minutes in the US, and around 10 minutes in the UK. Yet, about 25% of this time Australian general practitioners are spending on documentation and an additional average time used by Australian general practitioner on non-billable time is 10 minutes arranging tests and referrals, consulting specialists or allied health professionals, medication renewals, and advice and education. Altogether, this totals 15 hours per week of extra work that GPs do not get reimbursed for. With increasing financial pressure, time continues to become more valuable for doctors and therefore time-saving solutions, like iScope, are required.
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Patients prefer to choose if they would like to see a specialist, utilise hospital services or see their family doctor; with the latter commonly being the most popular choice as it is convenient and takes place in a trusted environment. Due to the referral process required for the removal of ear wax and foreign bodies from the eye, it is virtually impossible for patients to be treated on the same day. Alternatively, patients must attend an emergency department, where, if lucky, they wait in a stressful environment to see a doctor who is less familiar with their health history. It’s also important to note that private emergency consultations with specialists or in the hospital environment are often expensive, and in most cases, not accessible at all.
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Removal of ear wax and foreign body from the eye are common problems requiring appropriate treatment to prevent permanent damage. Every year, there are approximately 14 million presentations to clinics and hospitals across the U.S.A, Europe and Australia in relation to ear wax and foreign bodies in the eye. Having these procedures performed in general practice has the potential to reduce public health costs by 64%. In Australia alone, that means $49 million dollars could be saved each year.
Regional and remote areas are often limited when it comes to accessing key medical services. This leads to significant delay in treatment and could harm patients depending on their conditions. These arising complications cause trauma to patient and family members and result in poor patient outcome alongside excessive treatment cost. Additionally, half of the world lacks access to essential health services and around 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses.