Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service report reveals $60,000 lost a month in revenue

A report has detailed TAIHS doctors are refusing to see some patients who are not their regulars and insufficient booking practices are contributing to huge financial losses.

THE Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service could be losing up to $60,000 a month in revenue due to inefficient booking system management and doctors refusing to see people who are not their regular patients.

An October report into practice performance found that more than a half a million dollars of revenue was being lost in the primary health clinic annually.

TAIHS at Garbutt. Picture: Evan Morgan

The report found that the current system in place did not allow health assessments or care plans to be booked in, rather health workers were encouraged to pull patients from the waiting room while they were waiting for the doctor.

The system only worked if patients turned up for appointments about 30 minutes early.

“The flow on effect for not provisioning the appropriate clinical care is that the clinic and ultimately the community suffers a significant financial loss as the clinic is not able to fund other crucial services, including establishing our own dental services and prevention and education programs,” the report said.

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It also says the organisation is actually losing much more money, including instances where patients are not seen by a doctor, leading to a missed billing opportunity; doctors taking messages from patients to print scripts and referrals without a telephone appointment, leading to a missed opportunity to bill; and doctors taking breaks after every two patients, sometimes one, not including lunch.

In a follow up report in November, it said receptionists and nurses were now monitoring over the phone messages for scripts and referrals, but some were still slipping through.

The report also said that after the departure of one doctor, others had failed to take on their patients.

“This refusal leaves (their) vulnerable patients with limited options,” it said.

The availability of dental staff was also flagged, with “TAIHS staff unaware of the movements of the dentists service”.

The report said in one instance, two patients were booked to see them, but the dental service had “locked up and left” without advising anyone.

“No one was answering the provided dentist emergency phone,” the report said.

TAIHS did not respond to a request for comment.

Originally published as Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service report reveals $60,000 lost a month in revenue