COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Instrument number QAA 1/2012
Declaration of Quality Assurance Activity under section 124X of the Health Insurance Act 1973.
 
I, CHRIS BAGGOLEY, Chief Medical Officer of The Department of Health and Ageing, make this instrument under section 124X of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act).
 
 
1.             DECLARE the Activities described in Schedule 1 to this declaration (the Activities) to be quality assurance activities to which Part VC of the Act applies being satisfied in relation to the Activities that:
(i)            the organisations engaging in the Activities are authorised to do so by associations of health professionals or educational institutions; and
(ii)          it is in the public interest that Part VC of the Act applies to the Activities having regard to the criteria prescribed in regulations 23C to 23G (inclusive) of the Health Insurance Regulations 1975.
 
 
 
 
 
CHRIS BAGGOLEY
Chief Medical Officer
Department of Health and Ageing
 13 March 2012
 
Part 1                  Preliminary
1              Name of Declaration
This Declaration is the Declaration of Quality Assurance Activity under section 124X of the Health Insurance Act 1973 also known as QAA 1/2012.
 
2              Commencement
      This Declaration commences the day after registration on the Federal Register of 
      Legislative Instruments.  Section 124X (4) of the Act prescribes that, unless sooner 
      revoked, this declaration ceases to be in force at the end of five years after the
      instrument of declaration was signed.
 



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Part 2         Schedule 1                  QAA1/2012 – Declared Quality Assurance Activities
 
[1]       The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Practice Visits: a peer review activity for specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists in Australia.
 
            Description:
           
As part of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program of RANZCOG, Fellows volunteer to participate in this peer review program which provides participants with recommendations on improving the quality and risk management of their practice. The practice visit program provides a quality framework in which to assess and evaluate the individual practice and competence of RANZCOG Fellows. Data from de-identified patients, co-workers as well as observations of the Fellow’s practice are collected and then used for evaluation. Qualitative analysis is undertaken on the de-identified information and feedback is then disseminated to the participant.  Further to individual feedback, the information is also disseminated to all Fellows of RANZCOG via a de-identified report in the O&G magazine. Presentations will also be made at either the Provincial Fellows Annual Scientific Meeting (PF ASM) or the RANZCOG ASM. The RANZCOG Practice Visit project has been declared quality activity in the past and has resulted in Fellows being more confident in participating in free flowing discussion about clinical performance and clinical decision making. This quality activity is in the public interest due to the quality improvement focus sought from the evaluation methodology employed during the practice visits. 
 
[2]        The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program- Category 3, Practice Assessment, Level 2- Self Directed QA Activities.
           
            Description:
           
The Self Directed Quality Assurance (QA) Activities as part of ANZCA’s wider continuing professional development program focus on self directed and practice based learning activities rather than supervised training. Fellows are required to submit annual returns if they wish to receive a statement of participation that may be used for recertification or credentialing.  Candid self assessment is encouraged and promoted as participants develop an overarching plan that tailors their QA activities within the breadth of their jurisdiction. The self assessments are recorded in an online portfolio along with other QA activities. Specialists are then afforded the opportunity to study, analyse and audit selected aspects of their clinical performance with the aims of improving the outcomes of their patients through ongoing review of their practice. Reflection notes, practice peer review and evaluation of participation are the key methods in conducting the activity. The outcomes of the activity are disseminated to the ANZCA CPD Committee which publishes an annual report of the program. The Committee also makes any recommendations to ANZCA’s Council which in turn makes recommendations to the Education and Training Committee and Quality and Safety Committee. Public interest is demonstrated as the quality activity seeks to monitor and evaluate individuals which will shape improvements and quality measures in anaesthesiology practice.
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Note
All legislative instruments and compilations are registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments kept under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. 

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  See http://www.frli.gov.au