Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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HEALTH INSURANCE COMMISSION AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 2002 (NO. 1) 2002 NO. 142

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

STATUTORY RULES 2002 No. 142

Issued by the Minister for Health and Ageing

Health Insurance Commission Act 1973

Health Insurance Commission Amendment Regulations 2002 (No. 1)

Section 44 of the Health Insurance Commission Act 1973 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.

Section 8AA of the Act provides that additional functions may be conferred on the Health Insurance Commission (the Commission) by Regulations.

The Regulations amended the Health Insurance Commission Regulations 1975 to confer on the Commission the additional function of establishing and maintaining a Register of general practitioners who may participate in the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative (the initiative).

The purpose of the Register is to enable the Commission to identify the general practitioners who may participate in the initiative, thereby assisting the Commission to fulfil its role in the administration of the initiative. Participating general practitioners will need to be accredited by the relevant accreditation body.

The relevant accreditation body for the purposes of the Regulations is the General Practitioner Mental Health Standards Collaboration (the GPMHSC). This body functions under the auspices of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and is made up of 10 members representing a broad range of expertise in the mental health field.

Details of the Regulations are set out in the Attachment.

The Regulations commenced on 1 July 2002.

ATTACHMENT

Details of the Health Insurance Commission Amendment Regulations 2002 (No. 1)

Regulation 1 - Name of Regulations

Specifies that the title of the regulations is the Health Insurance Commission Amendment Regulations 2002 (No. 1).

Regulation 2 - Commencement

Provides that the regulations commenced on 1 July 2002.

Regulation 3 - Amendment of Health Insurance Commission Regulations 1975

Provides that Schedule 1 amends the Health Insurance Commission Regulations 1975.

Schedule 1 - Amendments

Item [1] inserts new regulation 3T which confers on the Commission the additional function of establishing and maintaining a Register of general practitioners who may participate in the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative.

Subregulation (1) provides that it is a prescribed function of the Health Insurance Commission to establish and maintain a Register of general practitioners who may participate in the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative.

Subregulation (2) provides that the Register may be maintained in any form, including a computer record.

Subregulation (3) requires the Health Insurance Commission to enter a person's name in the Register within 14 days of receiving a written notice from the relevant accreditation body stating that the person meets the requirements for participation in the initiative. The relevant accreditation body is defined in subregulation (5).

Subregulation (4) requires the Health Insurance Commission to notify a person once he or she has been entered in the Register.

Subregulation (5) defines the terms 'general practitioner' and 'relevant accreditation body'.


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