By STAFF REPORTER and NZPA
Free visits to doctors for accident victims are about to be trialled to see if they help them get back to work sooner.
The Accident Compensation Corporation wants to set up a trial in a small community to see if covering the full cost of consultations improves recovery times.
Some insurers believe hefty surcharges discourage people from receiving treatment, extending their time away from work.
ACC pays $26 for an adult patient's visit to the GP for accident-related treatment. Patients pay the rest of the cost of the consultation.
The corporation will this week seek Government approval for a free visit trial to see what difference wiping the surcharge makes. The location for the trial has yet to be decided.
"The idea is to see if we can get better care and get people the best possible treatment so they can get better faster," a spokesman said yesterday.
ACC Healthwise general manager David Rankin hopes boosting the amount it spends on doctors' visits will be counter-balanced by reduced compensation costs.
"It costs us $300 [a week] in earnings-related compensation and if we can reduce that time by two weeks, that frees up an awful lot of money to pay extra to general practitioners," said Dr Rankin.
Last year, ACC part-funded 2.7 million GP visits for accident victims and paid out $1.4 billion on compensation, rehabilitation and medical treatment.
Herald Online Health
ACC after quick return in free GP visit trials
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