PATIENT ASSISTED TRAVEL
SCHEME — ELIGIBLE TREATMENTS
989. Hon KEN BASTON to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the answer to question
without notice 967, asked on 4 September 2019, about the patient assisted
travel scheme available to permanent residents in WA Country Health Service
regions.
(1) Will the
minister please table the list of treatments, which, if required by residents
in a WA Country Health Service region, are eligible for the PAT scheme?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that the travel costs referred to in the answer include
transfers that require the Royal Flying Doctor Service?
Hon ALANNA
CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Patients are
eligible for the patient assisted travel scheme—PATS—when
referred for medical specialist care that is not available in their community
within the prescribed distances from home. The list of treatments for which
patients are referred is extensive, and eligibility is assessed on access to
medical specialists, not the required treatment.
Patients are entitled to apply for an
exceptional ruling if their PATS application is declined and they would like
the decision reviewed. Exceptional rulings consider the individual
circumstances of the application and are granted if it is demonstrated that the
intent of the PAT scheme is met, even though some of the parameters of PATS
policy may not have been.
I table the document titled ''Patient
Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS): A Guide for Patients and Carers''.
[See paper 3003.]
(2) The Royal Flying Doctor Service and PATS have
separate budgets. Transport options may vary depending on the individual
circumstances of the patient. If the member can provide greater clarification,
additional information will be provided.