CURRENT CIRCULATION: 7,898 DATE: 25th June 2012 ISSUE NO: 191
Welcome to Health & Life’s free email newsletter service. Share this with a friend. We would be happy to add their email address to the distribution list. This service is to provide Health and Life’s clients, those who attended our presentations and anyone who wants to be aware of community issues, with up to date information on key financial and practice management issues that may affect your practice. Please do not use this as a substitute to seeking professional advice. Writer in charge: Mr David Dahm BA.Acc, FCPA, CTA, FTIA, Ffin, FAAPM, FGLF, Registered Tax Agent
1st July 2012 New 2.9% Wage Increase for Doctors, Nurses, Practice Managers and Reception Staff?
TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS BREAK 1.
1st July 2012 New 2.9% Average Wage Increase
2.
Burqas v Blondes (video) – David Dahm like you have never seen him before..?!
3.
2012 Seminars and One to One Meetings
4.
Where to from here?
NEWS BREAK Australian Nursing Low Wage Claim Dropped – Health and Life Client We are pleased the current low pay nursing claim by the Australian Nursing Federation has been dropped against a practice that has purchased and properly implemented our Employment Kit. The claim was dropped by the Australian Nursing Federation as a result of the correct documentation and free representation by us, We had disputed whether the names of the practices named were picked from the Yellow Pages. We expressed concern that practices that did not employ nurses were not pursued. The Commissioner has ruled that practices named by the Australian Nursing Federation need to properly identify themselves for a claim to proceed. Practices are not off the hook unless their names are removed by the Australian Nursing Federation from their list. So if a default
decision is made against your practice for doing nothing it could prove to become an expensive experience as ignorance of the law is no excuse. Potentially an ‘underpayment of wages’ claim could be successful if a practice does nothing. See our archives section for more information. We are in a position to represent practices at no charge if a practice purchases and implements our Fair Work tested Employment Kit.
1st July 2012 New 2.9 % Average Wage Increase for Doctors, Nurses, Practice Managers and Reception Staff?
1.
New 2012 Wage Increase – 2.9% what to do? Practice Managers don't forget to update your employment contracts and payroll systems if you are affected by the new Award wage rate increases from the 1st July 2012. Based on last years rates there are increases of 2.9% for doctors, nursing, allied, practice managers and administrative staff across each of the relevant Awards. Practice MUST ensure they increase their fees by 3% commencing 1st July 2012. For the full story on what you can do see our free archives section or purchase our Employment Kit. Alternatively download the latest Award rates and Awards from our website and check carefully the Award and your signed employment contracts. Remember your staff should have access to these Awards. Electronic access is permitted. Practices that have purchased, and have properly implemented our Employment Kit, have the option to absorb the increase in any over award payments detailed in a signed employment agreement. Please seek our professional advice before acting as it will depend on how much above the Award your staff are currently being paid and overtime claims. Enterprise Agreements – do they really work? We support that individual employers and employees wish to negotiate their contracts between each other, using individual flexibility agreements. We do not encourage enterprise agreements or multi-employer enterprise agreements because it is a poor recruitment and retention tool. There are employer and employee union representatives that are actively encouraging this tedious and expensive approach. Simply, everyone is treated the same and it makes it more difficult to recognise and reward high performing staff. Poor performing staff can potentially be over compensated at the expense of the high performing staff. The union is seeking to establish a new and more complex minimum Award entitlement that we believe is not sustainable. The first to step to avoiding this problem is to have a signed Fair Work compliant employment contract.
For a cost effective solution, if you wish to purchase a kit with completed job descriptions covering receptionists to practice managers, nurses, allied health and doctors, click here Employment Kit. By working within the Fair Work Australia guidelines avoid unnecessary scrutiny.
2. Burqas v Blondes (video) – David Dahm like you have never seen him before..?! We have started a new and exciting “The Business Healthcare” TM video series trial. They will be short 5-7minute videos. Please provide any feedback on the You Tube and please click “Like” if you would like us to present more information. We have already received over 70 views (on two sites) prior to this broadcast. This new video is about the business of bias. This is particularly relevant if you employ overseas providers and/or staff. This is to help people better understand why we adversely react to people not like ourselves. The video is a fun and enlightened way to help people overcome similar challenges in your practice, or maybe somebody you know who may be experiencing any kind of discrimination. The video was produced while David was overcoming laryngitis. Believe it or not this is 6 minute presentation by David, 20 slides 20 seconds a slide! He apologises for the scratchy voice. The audio does pick up as you progress through the video, It was in front of a live audience and broadcasted around the world at the same time which was kinda frightening! This is from a personal perspective. Please feel free to “Like it” and share it and spread the word. A practice or two might recognise themselves in the broadcast. The next video is on…. It takes only one phone call and your doctor will not see you! The next video is a controversial edition on why patients will have a more difficult time in accessing high quality, innovative and affordable healthcare. We are concerned with the Federal Governments interference in the doctor patient relationship. Furthermore, the rare move to enact new retrospective laws in relation to Medicare audits that doctors have won can now be re-trialled. Currently, the present Medicare rules remain unclear and audit processes lack transparency. Nor can it demonstrate it has an appropriate peer review processes. Practices and practice staff can now be implicated in a Medicare audit, with or without the healthcare providers consent. This is a concern, given Medicare have been found guilty in the Federal Courts for not properly prosecuting practices. They are now able to prosecute providers and practices without evidence! Please do not hesitate to share these videos with your friends.
1.
2012 Seminars and One to One Meetings
At the request of practice managers, we are planning to visit Wollongong and Brisbane in September and October so let us know if you would like us to drop in.
Below is a summary of dates for our practice visits and seminars across Australia. This is an opportunity to meet with us face to face with any practice issues you may have at each seminar, or by personal appointment, for a no-obligation discussion. Email us at pa@healthandlife.com.au to pre-book an appointment. If you would like your local medical organisation to host a seminar, forward this email to them with our seminar details and copy us in as well at pa@healthandlife.com.au. We will then contact them direct to enquire about presenting in your local area. We thank you in advance for your interest and support. You would be surprised how it only takes one person to make things happen! New confirmed programs are detailed below. Please contact the organisations directly for details about the course program, content and costs. It is free to Medicare Locals and Associations if it is part of the program detailed below. Please email your expression of interest to us, or email your local association, and we can do a presentation at no cost to them.
Host and Location
Dates
Contact Name
Contact Email
Topics
SOUTH AUSTRALIA * SA, Adelaide
20th June 2012
Ashley Grace Tharimu
grace.Tharimu@cpaaustralia.com.au 03 9606 9841
CPA AUSTRALIA * SA, Adelaide
10th August 2012
Ashley Moore
pa@healthandlife.com.au 08 8415 5400
* SA, Adelaide
12th October 2012
Ashley Moore
pa@healthandlife.com.au 08 8415 5400
PRESENTATION CPA Congress South Australia “Great People”
PRESENTATION Dental Practice Update – 2 sessions PRESENTATION Tafe SA – Dental “Strategy & Legal”
NSW * NSW, Sydney & Wollongong
Mid August 2012
Ashley Moore
pa@healthandlife.com.au
08 8415 5400
PRESENTATION
Practice Troubleshooting Succession planning ‐ staff and owner performance management
QLD *Brisbane, QLD
16th to 20th October 2012
Ashley Moore
pa@healthandlife.com.au
AAPM Conference
08 8415 5400 Please visit www.aapm.org.au and follow the links to the AAPM Conference website.
David will be available for one on one meetings during this week.
*So you are looking for that competitive advantage – why not catch up with David Dahm and the Team. See below.
2.
Catching up with David Dahm and the Team
We can talk about succession planning, business structures, effective tax planning, employee vs contractor agreements, benchmarking and many more topics. We are using this time to catch up with existing clients. If you are not an existing client, this may be a good opportunity to tell us what is on your mind. Ask yourself the following questions:
What new challenges am I facing? What new opportunities do I anticipate? What kind of support or expertise would be most helpful to me now? What changes do I anticipate over the next year or so? What more can Health and Life do for you, if anything?
We are planning trips and one to one to meetings as detailed above. Please note that this is on a first come first serve basis. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us to arrange a no obligation teleconference to get you started on any significant issues. Email us at pa@healthandlife.com.au 3.
Where to from here?
3.1 Consult your professional adviser in relation to any advice suggested;
3.2
If you require any back issues of our news alerts please email us;
3.3
If you are not sure about any issues raised in this newsletter, contact David Dahm on 1800 077 222 for an initial no obligation consult, or email us at pa@healthandlife.com.au. Health and Life provides comprehensive practice consulting, accounting, taxation and financial planning advice for group practices and individuals. Email us for information about our Employment Template kits for providers and support staff, and our Doctors Pay Calculator.
Which topics would you like to be covered? If there is a particular topic that you would like covered in one of our future News Alerts, please email pa@healthandlife.com.au and let us know what it is. We will then endeavour to cover your requested topic. Do we have your email address? It is apparent in feedback we are receiving that there are persons receiving this regular email who are not on our email list. If you are receiving this email ‘second-hand’ from another source, we would be delighted to receive your email address and we will add you to our database so that you can receive it first-hand on the day it is sent. This invitation is open to all Health Care Practices. Please send your email address to pa@healthandlife.com.au. Do you wish to unsubscribe from our list? Please email pa@healthandlife.com.au if you wish to be removed from our distribution list. Copyright Notice 2012 This email, including any attachments, is for the personal use of the recipient(s) only. Republication and re-dissemination, including posting to news groups or web pages, is strictly prohibited without the express prior consent of Health & Life Pty Ltd. Disclaimer Notice Health & Life Pty Ltd’s Best Practice News Alert is designed as a comprehensive and up-to-date Accounting, Practice Management and Healthcare news service to alert readers to the latest in Practice and related developments affecting the medical, dental and allied health professions as they happen. It is published when there is news to report. No responsibility can be accepted for those who act on its content without first consulting us or obtaining specific advice.