AMAV VICDOC SUMMER 2023 - Magazine - Page 70
MEDICINE
FROM A
DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE
—
W
I have a 50-year career
as a recently retired
GP in a practice I
established working
alongside associate GPs and allied
health professionals. I have been
fortunate to have experienced a
diverse career that has included
occupational health, medicolegal
medicine, administrative and
educational roles.
Early in my GP career
I developed an interest in
occupational health and
medicolegal medicine when after
consulting numerous patients
presenting with shoulder injuries
coming from the one workplace,
I asked to attend the workplace
and after common sense advice we
were able to reduce the number of
injuries which was pleasing, not
only for the workers/patients, and
also welcomed by the employer.
This commenced a pathway in
the management of work-related
injuries. I subsequently managed
work related injuries at various
worksites and at a dedicated work
injury clinic and developed an
interest in the medicolegal aspect
of injuries and my opinion was
sought in various advisory roles.
I have had general medical
educational roles with the RACGP
and with medical undergraduates
as an honorary lecturer at Monash
University. I have also been a
regular presenter for employer
groups, insurers, legal and medical
conferences, particularly regarding
aspects of injury compensation
including impairment assessments.
70
AMA VI C TO RIA
In 1992 I was appointed as
a sessional conciliator for the
newly established Accident
Compensation Conciliation
Service, a role that involved
mediating work injury disputes and
reviewing both treating doctor’s
and medicolegal reports. The
insight of what happens when the
medical information that we obtain
in our consulting room, is put into
a medical report for administrative
reasons, together with the training
I received as a Conciliator, was
an important learning stage in
my career.
I continue to have a clinical
role as a medical advisor to
a multinational organisation
and I am on the list of medical
practitioners who can be
appointed to a Medical Panel. I
have previously held positions as
the Deputy Convenor and then
Convenor of Medical Panels. I
regularly undertake impairment
assessments following disputed
assessments for work injuries and
Wrongs Act claims
I was a founding member of
Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell
Association of Australia (TASCA)
and am currently involved in
a voluntary role as a medical
advisor and as a member of
the management committee. I
am a consumer advocate in the
Australian division of the Primary
Aldosteronism Foundation and
an Associate Investigator on a
proposed clinical trial for improved
diagnosis of primary aldosteronism
in primary care (CONSEP trial)
J MALIOS
General Practitioner
HOW LONG HAVE YOU
BEEN AN IMPAIRMENT
ASSESSOR, AND WHY
DID YOU GET INVOLVED?
—
In 1985 the Victorian
government introduced the
Accident Compensation Act
a major reform of workers’
compensation legislation.
Included in that legislation
was a requirement to assess the
impairment of injuries. Longterm consequences of injuries
had previously been assessed as
“industrial loss” for which there
was no standard methodology,
and the introduction of
impairment assessments was
intended to provide a standardised
methodology for assessment.
I commenced doing impairment
assessments when the Second
Edition American Medical
Association Guides was utilised
as well as an additional disability
and handicap rating. Training of
medical practitioners to undertake
impairment assessments was not
a legislative requirement and I
attended the early courses and
organisational meetings that were
offered that time.
In 1998 I was invited and joined
the Committee overseeing the
training program for impairment
assessors and I am currently the
Independent Medical Practitioner
representative on the AMA
Training Course Management
Committee. Impairment
assessments are now also utilised
with the Transport Accident