Statutory Rules 1996   No. 2351

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Health Insurance Regulations2 (Amendment)

I, The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following Regulations under the Health Insurance Act 1973.

Dated 23 October 1996.

 WILLIAM DEANE

 Governor-General

By His Excellency’s Command,

MICHAEL WOOLDRIDGE

Minister for Health and Family Services

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1.   Commencement

1.1   These Regulations commence on 1 November 1996.

2.   Amendment

2.1   The Health Insurance Regulations are amended as set out in these Regulations.

3.   Regulation 2 (Interpretation)

3.1   Definition of “investigation”:

Omit from paragraph (b) “complaints”, substitute “complaint”.

4.   Regulation 27 (Prescribed authorities and persons for the purposes of subsection 130 (3A) of the Act)

4.1   Subregulation 27 (3):

Omit “holding occupying”, substitute “holding, occupying”.

4.2   Subparagraph 27 (4) (c) (iii):

Omit the subparagraph, substitute:

 “(iii) is applying to be registered or licensed;

  to practice as a medical practitioner; or”.

5.   Regulation 29 (Referral to specialists or consultant physicians)

5.1   After subregulation 29 (4), insert:

 “(4A) If the referring practitioner is a specialist, or consulting physician, the referral must:

 (a) be endorsed with the name of the general practitioner nominated by the patient; or

 (b) if the patient is unwilling or unable to nominate a general practitioner for the purposes of paragraph (a)—contain a statement to that effect.”.

6.   Regulation 31 (Validity of referrals to specialists or consultant physicians)

6.1   Subregulation 31 (1):

Omit “A referral”, substitute “Subject to subregulation (1A), a referral”.

6.2   After subregulation 31 (1), insert:

 “(1A) A referral given by a specialist, or consultant physician, is valid:

 (a) if the referred patient is a patient in a hospital:

 (i) until the patient ceases to be a patient in a hospital; or

 (ii) until 3 months after the first service given in accordance with the referral;

  whichever is the later; or

 (b) in any other case—until 3 months after the first service given in accordance with the referral.”.

7.   Schedule 3 (Prescribed authorities and persons—subsection 130 (3A) of the Act)

7.1   Part 1, clause 3:

Omit “seperate”, substitute “separate”.

7.2   Part 5, item 4:

Omit “south”, substitute “South”.   

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NOTES

1. Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 30 October 1996os. 9, 25, 287, 300 and 409. nd .

2. Statutory Rules 1975 No. 80 as amended by 1975 Nos. 118, 125 and 135 (disallowed by the Senate on 4 September 1975); 1976 Nos. 202, 214 and 215; 1977 Nos. 26 and 44; 1978 Nos. 95 and 177; 1979 No. 230; 1981 Nos. 198 and 317; 1982 Nos. 157, 251 and 287; 1983 Nos. 106, 231, 253 and 255; 1984 Nos. 5 and 162; 1985 Nos. 36, 50, 95, 205 and 290; 1986 Nos. 19, 20, 87 and 326; 1987 Nos. 32, 163 and 166; 1988 No. 314; 1989 Nos. 6, 54, 117 and 293; 1990 No. 25; 1991 Nos. 82, 314, 365 and 441; 1992 Nos. 42, 111, 239, 335 and 431; 1993 Nos. 106, 130 and 154; 1994 Nos. 20, 27, 111, 137, 138, 328 and 413; 1995 Nos. 9, 25, 287, 300 and 409; 1996 Nos. 231 and 234.