Released by the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program, the reports show the Australian community is relying more and more on highly skilled GPs for quality health care and advice.
Dr Steve Hambleton, AMA President, said the reports show clearly that GPs are the preferred first port of call for Australians seeking the best possible health care, and demand is growing as the population ages and more people are experiencing chronic and complex conditions.
"When Australians are sick or want trusted health advice, they want to see a GP," Dr Hambleton said.
"As the population ages, chronic diseases are accounting for an increasing proportion of a GP's workload.
"There are now significantly more GP visits for depression, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and hypothyroidism than a decade ago.
"GPs are dealing with more problems per visit.
"They made 7.6 million more referrals to other medical specialists and 3.7 million more referrals to allied health services than a decade ago.
"GPs are ensuring that people are receiving the right care at the right time from the right health professional.
"These reports underline the unique leadership role of GPs in the health system.
"Any moves to allow other health professionals to do the work of a GP must be resisted.
"Instead, GPs must receive stronger support to maintain and build on their key role as community demand inevitably increases in coming years.
"The AMA believes that the government needs to reform current Medicare arrangements targeting chronic disease.
"GPs are integral to keeping patients with chronic disease healthy and out of hospital, but current Medicare-funded chronic disease management arrangements are too limited, are difficult for patients to access, and involve considerable red tape and bureaucracy.
"The AMA has a plan that offers patients with multiple chronic conditions and related complex care needs improved access to GP-coordinated quality primary care.
"The AMA plan enhances existing arrangements and supports patients to spend more time with their GP when they need to.
"It provides patients with streamlined access to a broad range of allied health and other support services and it supports a more proactive approach to the delivery of care.
"GPs must be given greater support and scope to provide access to multidisciplinary care and support services for patients with chronic and complex disease."
