Midwives Insurance options made easy:

If you are a private practice midwife / independent midwife you will need insurance cover: your choices are MIGA and Medisure/Mediprotect - I have discusse these options on a previous blog.... however some midwives have expressed the need for an easier expanation.

What you need to do is read what both companies have to offer: In a nutshell:
MIGA - offers a comprehensive insurance and the cost is up to $7500.00 per anuum, this insurance also has a run off compontent.... and what that means is that it covers you for when you stop working:

Professional indemnity insurance is provided on a claims made basis – this means your policy will only cover you for claims that are made and reported to MIGA while you have a current insurance policy with MIGA
• If, in the future, you no longer need the insurance because you have ceased private midwifery practice, you may require insurance to cover your prior practice. This type of cover is called 'run-off cover'
• Run-off cover insures you for claims made in the future which relate to incidents that occurred in your prior practice
• You need to maintain run-off cover for the whole time that you have ceased practice in order to be protected against claims that may arise in the future.

For a quick easy read, check out Questions and Answers for Midwives
Now also review the Maternity Care Plan Check list by MIGA; click the link.

Medisure / Mediprotect by calling 07 3426 0400 OR Downloading the Application Form, and either Faxing it to (07) 3426 0444 or Via E-mail to admin@medisure.com.au

This insurance does not have a run off cover, if you want to purchase one it comes at a higher price. Also the amount of insurance cover is less than MIGA, the other difference is eligibility....To be eligible for this cover, practitioners need only be registered as a ‘practising midwife’ with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

Vero/Medisure/Mediprotect is a cheaper insurance with no run off insurance which allows you to be registered with the NWBA and therefore able to continue to work.... it is not as comprehensive as MIGA..... you will have to decide which insurance will be right for you and your practice!

OF COURSE NO INSURANCE COVERS YOU FOR A HOMEBIRTH

GOOD LUCK.......


Ref cartoon: www.legaljuice.com/judge%20funny%20cartoon%20...

National Health (Collaborative arrangements for midwives) Determination 2010

The day has arrived we know what collaborative arrangements are: here is the document for you to read; I am still absorbing all the information: on the first read I was upset....however after digesting it there is room to move and I am more positive about the whole agreement. It is a difficult paper to read and understand and you have to read it several times to find the areas which we can use to our advantage.....so have a read and then lets discuss our options...click the link

National Health (Collaborative
arrangements for midwives) Determination
20101

4 Specified medical practitioners
For the definition of authorised midwife in subsection 84 (1) of the Act, the
following kinds of medical practitioner are specified:
(a) an obstetrician;
(b) a medical practitioner who provides obstetric services;
(c) a medical practitioner employed or engaged by a hospital authority and
authorised by the hospital authority to participate in a collaborative
arrangement.

5 Collaborative arrangements — general
(1) For the definition of authorised midwife in subsection 84 (1) of the Act,
each of the following is a kind of collaborative arrangement for an eligible
midwife:

(a) the midwife is employed or engaged by 1 or more obstetric specified
medical practitioners, or by an entity that employs or engages 1 or
more obstetric specified medical practitioners;
(b) a patient is referred, in writing, to the midwife for midwifery treatment
by a specified medical practitioner;
(c) an agreement mentioned in section 6 for the midwife;
(d) an arrangement mentioned in section 7 for the midwife.
(2) For subsection (1), the arrangement must provide for:
(a) consultation between the midwife and an obstetric specified medical
practitioner; and
(b) referral of a patient to a specified medical practitioner; and
(c) transfer of a patient’s care to an obstetric specified medical
practitioner.

(3) A collaborative arrangement, other than an arrangement mentioned in
section 7, may apply to more than 1 patient.

(4) However, an acknowledgement mentioned in paragraph 7 (1) (c) may apply
for more than 1 patient.

6 Agreement between eligible midwife and 1 or more specified
medical practitioners
(1) An agreement may be made between:
(a) an eligible midwife; and
(b) 1 or more specified medical practitioners.
(2) The agreement must be in writing and signed by the eligible midwife and
the other parties mentioned in paragraph (1) (b).

7 Arrangement — midwife’s written records
(1) An eligible midwife must record the following for a patient in the midwife’s
written records:
(a) the name of at least 1 specified medical practitioner who is, or will be,
collaborating with the midwife in the patient’s care (a named medical
practitioner);
(b) that the midwife has told the patient that the midwife will be providing
midwifery services to the patient in collaboration with 1 or more
specified medical practitioners in accordance with this section;
(c) acknowledgement by a named medical practitioner that the practitioner
will be collaborating in the patient’s care;
(d) plans for the circumstances in which the midwife will do any of the
following:
(i) consult with an obstetric specified medical practitioner;
(ii) refer the patient to a specified medical practitioner;
(iii) transfer the patient’s care to an obstetric specified medical
practitioner.
(2) The midwife must also record the following in the midwife’s written
records:
(a) any consultation or other communication between the midwife and an
obstetric specified medical practitioner about the patient’s care;
(b) any referral of the patient by the midwife to a specified medical
practitioner;
(c) any transfer by the midwife of the patient’s care to an obstetric
specified medical practitioner;
(d) when the midwife gives a copy of the hospital booking letter (however
described) for the patient to a named medical practitioner —
acknowledgement that the named medical practitioner has received the
copy;
(e) when the midwife gives a copy of the patient’s maternity care plan
prepared by the midwife to a named medical practitioner —
acknowledgement that the named medical practitioner has received the
copy;
(f) if the midwife requests diagnostic imaging or pathology services for
the patient — when the midwife gives the results of the services to a
named medical practitioner;
(g) that the midwife has given a discharge summary (however described)
at the end of the midwife’s care for the patient to:
(i) a named medical practitioner; and
(ii) the patient’s usual general practitioner.

All the above information is taken from the National Health Act 1953 (click the above link for the whole document)

Please feel free to ask any questions

RANZCOG won't come to the table......

New research suggests that doctors and midwives are poles apart....strangely enough I did not need research to tell me that....but in terms of putting into perspective research is the answer because it is now in black and white.....

Sue Kruske's work shows that....."a survey of 460 midwives, GP obstetricians and obstetricians found that over half of doctors thought they should have the final say in maternity care but only 4% of midwives agreed..... "
NOW THERE IS a surprise...(tongue in cheek)

"On the other hand, over 90% of midwives thought they should be the final decision maker, but only 30% of doctors agreed with this, according to the survey carried out at the Queensland Centre for Mothers and Babies and presented at a maternity services conference in Alice Springs."

“The results showed while there was a widespread [agreement] with the definition of collaboration, there were significant differences in the way this definition translated into practice,” says researcher Associate Professor Sue Kruske, a midwife and child and family health nurse."

"Both groups indicated that they thought the current system did not support collaboration between doctors and midwives. Nearly all doctors respected midwives, but this was not reciprocal, with only 75% of midwives saying they respected doctors.... I wonder if this is because mutual understanding of the role of the midwife is not agreed....doctors do not acknowledge that midwives are the experts in normal childbirth......."

The NHMRC is working as a go between to try to get RANZCOG and the College of Midwives to agree on the referral guidelines.

I see the major difference being that midwives focus on the 'woman' being at the centre of care....where doctors are paternalistic and think they know what is best, despite what the woman wants......

it is interesting to get RANZCOG at the table when they have a position statement that does not support homebirth....so it is clear that they are not willing to compromise......


From November, midwives will be able to access the MBS when working collaboratively.


Ref:No compromise in sight on maternity care
by Jared Reed

Just a quick news flash - Radio National will feature the story of the Nunavik Innuit local birthing initiative that was so inspiring at the recent Breathing New Life conference. Tune in to the Bush Telegraph program on Thursday, 11am in the west, check your local guides elsewhere in Oz, or check abc online for a transcript.

WA behind with National Legislation for Nurses and Midwives

Please remember to maintain your nursing and midwifery registration: WA is the only State not to have enacted the new Law: Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009: hopefully we are looking at August for National Registration watch this space........ If you are travelling interstate with the intention of working you will have to register in that State.....like wise nurses and midwives from the Eastern States will have to register here.
Check out Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website........for more information.......

Pregnancy Babies and Children Expo WA

Come along to the Pregnancy Babies and Children Expo August 13 - 15 Claremont Showgrounds......



This years Pregnancy Babies and Children’s Expo http://www.pbcexpo.com.au/perth/ is going to be held at Perth’s Claremont Showgrounds, Claremont. The show will be from Friday August 13 to 15 2010. There will be a huge range of parenting, babies and children’s products, and family entertainment. Start times on Friday is from 10am to 4pm. Weekends start at 10am and finish at 5pm. Cost for admission is $12/adults and $8/pensioners.

WA has a winner

This is the winner of the hotly contested pearl necklace raffle at the Breathing New Life Conference that has just concluded at Alice Springs.

Bev Davis of Bentley Hospital won the $5000 first prize donated by Panda Pearls, who were very popular exhibitors at the trade stands. I'm sure there were many pearl adorned midwives and doctors returning home today!

Proceeds from the two raffles raised a substantial amount of funds for the Rhodanthe Lipsett fund of the Australian College of Midwives, which provides financial support for Indigenous women to study midwifery.

Congratulations Bev. More BNL news soon.