The Department of Health has announced the appointment of the first two members of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC).
The MRAC has been established to review Medicare’s items and services on a continuing basis to ensure the Medicare Schedule remains contemporary and provides universal access to the best technologies and services.
The two members, Chair, Anne Duggan (pictured) and Deputy Chair, Jo Watson will lead the new MRAC.
Professor Duggan is Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, where she provides expert clinical advice to the Commission in its role to improve safety and quality of health care nationally.
Ms Watson is the current Deputy Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and she is also Chair of the Health Technology Assessment Consumer Consultative Committee and Deputy Chair of the Consumer Health Forum Board.
In a statement, the Department said Professor Duggan and Ms Watson had been selected for their extensive knowledge of the health system, their professional and community standing, and their understanding of broader structural whole-of-MBS issues.
“Their appointments will support ongoing improvements to ensure access to high value and contemporary health services for all Australians,” it said.
“The new MRAC will build upon the work of the MBS Review Taskforce, which from 2015 to 2020 reviewed the more than 5,700 items on the MBS, line-by-line, for clinical efficacy and relevance.”
It said the MRAC would ensure the MBS continued to support high quality care and remained flexible and contemporary.
“MRAC membership will include individuals with clinical, consumer, health economic and research expertise, and will adopt a consultative approach with peak medical groups,” the Department said.
