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PHI 13/11

This circular issued by the Private Health Insurance Branch contains information on the February 2011 Prostheses List

PDF Printable version of 13/11 (PDF 29 KB)

14 February 2011

Private Health Insurance Branch Changes

Purpose

This circular is to advise of a number of changes in both staffing and functions of the Private Health Insurance Branch.

Penny Shakespeare has left the Private Health Insurance Branch and will now be working in the Medicare Benefits Branch. Peter Woodley is the new Assistant Secretary.

Branch Structure

Peter Woodley – Assistant Secretary – 02 6289 9490

Budget and Data Analysis Section
Alastair Wilson – Director – 02 6289 4078
The Budget and Data Analysis Section has primary policy implementation responsibility for the Private Health Insurance Rebate, Medicare levy surcharge, premium approval process, and key modelling, financial, budget, and data analysis activities for the Private Health Insurance Branch.

HTA Review Implementation Section
Samantha Harris – Director - 02 6289 4998
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review Implementation Section is responsible for the implementation of the Health Technology Assessment Review recommendations relating to the Prostheses List.

Incentives Policy Section
Pauline Dusink – Director – 02 6289 4319
Incentives Policy Section primarily manages the development and implementation of policy for private health insurance incentives, including risk equalisation, the Medicare Levy Surcharge, Lifetime Health Cover and the Private Health Insurance Rebate.

Legal Policy Section
Stephen Lewis – Director – 02 6289 8283
The role of the Legal Policy Section is to ensure industry compliance with the legislation governing private health insurance and provide legal policy advice to the Private Health Insurance Branch.

Quality and Communication Section
Kate Medwin – Director – 02 6289 9057
The Quality and Communication Section provides policy input and advice on all aspects of private health insurance including informed financial consent, gap cover and chronic disease management.

Prostheses
Clinical Assessment Team
David O'Neill – Director - 02 6289 1270
For the major product groups, the PDC has formed groups of clinical experts to assess applications to list new devices on the Prostheses List. These groups are called Clinical Advisory Groups (CAG), and there are nine in total. This sub-section provides secretariat support to five of these CAGs: the Special Orthopaedic CAG; the Spinal CAG; the Hip CAG; the Knee CAG and the Cardio-thoracic CAG.

Clinical Assessment and Panel Team
Kylie Boland - Director - 02 6289 9420
The Clinical Assessment and Panel Section is responsible for providing secretariat support to the Panel of Clinical Experts and selected Clinical Advisory Groups (CAGs). For the major product groups, the PDC has formed groups of clinical experts to assess applications to list new devices on the Prostheses List. There are nine of these CAG groups in total of which this Team provides secretariat support to four of them: Vascular CAG, Urogenital CAG, Cardiac CAG and Opthalmic CAG.

Prostheses List Management Team
Robyn Bilston – Director - 02 6289 9850
The Section provides secretariat support to the advisory committee for the prostheses arrangements, coordinates the application cycles, processes applications for human tissues and maintains the Prostheses List. It is the primary point of contact for sponsors of prostheses to obtain information about the arrangements.

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If you require further information please telephone: (02) 6289 9853/24 hr answering machine or email the enquiry to PrivateHealth@health.gov.au
Internet: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-phicirculars2011-index1
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