Hon Giz Watson asks about the WA interstate patient assisted travel scheme, including budget, expenditure, approved procedures, and specifically pre-implantation genetic testing. The Minister confirms the scheme exists but pre-implantation genetic testing is not covered due to Medicare benefit restrictions.

AnsweredQoN 1468Legislative Council
Asked
12 November 2003
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Does the Western Australian interstate patient assisted travel scheme provide financial assistance to patients who travel interstate for approved medical procedures currently unavailable in Western Australia? (2) What is the annual budget for the Western Australia interstate patient assisted travel scheme? (3) How much was spent last year on this scheme? (4) What were the approved medical procedures for patients who successfully claimed under this scheme last year? (5) As pre-implantation genetic testing is not available in Western Australia, but is available interstate, is this an approved procedure under the scheme? Hon SUE ELLERY

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(2) What is the annual budget for the Western Australia interstate patient assisted travel scheme? (3) How much was spent last year on this scheme? (4) What were the approved medical procedures for patients who successfully claimed under this scheme last year? (5) As pre-implantation genetic testing is not available in Western Australia, but is available interstate, is this an approved procedure under the scheme? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(3) How much was spent last year on this scheme? (4) What were the approved medical procedures for patients who successfully claimed under this scheme last year? (5) As pre-implantation genetic testing is not available in Western Australia, but is available interstate, is this an approved procedure under the scheme? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(4) What were the approved medical procedures for patients who successfully claimed under this scheme last year? (5) As pre-implantation genetic testing is not available in Western Australia, but is available interstate, is this an approved procedure under the scheme? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(5) As pre-implantation genetic testing is not available in Western Australia, but is available interstate, is this an approved procedure under the scheme? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(1) Yes. (2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(2) The allocated budget for 2003-04 is $345 000. (3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(3) $559 394 was spent last year on this scheme. (4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
(4) Specialist medical services not available in Western Australia and covered by an item in the commonwealth Medicare benefits schedule book including - carnio-facial surgery and follow-up for those patients who first received treatment in Adelaide prior to 1993-94 when this service commenced at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children; paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care. (5) No. Under the existing guidelines the pre-implantation genetic testing procedure does not attract the commonwealth Medicare benefit. Should the Human Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill 2003 be approved by Parliament, this will enable pre-implantation genetic testing in Western Australia.
paediatric liver transplant; stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care.
stereotactic radiosurgery; lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care.
lymphatic laser therapy for intractable lymphoedema; specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care.
specialised paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery; and patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care.
patients with individual clinical circumstances as authorised by the Deputy Director General, Health Care.

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