Today the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Iain Anderson, released a report into Comcare’s management of medical examinations under section 57 of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act) – also known as independent medical examinations.

This investigation was informed by media coverage of alleged ‘doctor shopping’.

Mr Anderson acknowledged in the report that while Comcare’s procedures and internal guidance are consistent with s 57 of the SRC Act, he found several areas where Comcare could strengthen its administrative framework to support consistent, reasonable and transparent decision-making.

He also found that due to Comcare’s data capability limitations, and the absence of a requirement to record reasons, Comcare is not well placed to provide assurance that its use of independent medical examinations are appropriate, or to monitor how s 57 powers are used across the agency.

The report makes 9 recommendations to improve Comcare’s administrative framework for the use of its medical examination powers and to strengthen Comcare’s approach to managing related complaints.

“I am pleased Comcare accepted all 9 recommendations and acknowledge its commitment to strengthening policies, guidelines and complaint handling procedures concerning independent medical examinations.

“I am confident implementing the recommendations will assist Comcare in providing assurance to claimants, the Parliament and the public about its use of medical examinations, and will support consistent, reasonable and transparent decision-making.”

Comcare indicated it expects to implement all the Ombudsman’s recommendations by the end of 2024. The Office will monitor Comcare’s implementation of these recommendations as part of our recommendation implementation monitoring processes.

The report can be found on the Commonwealth Ombudsman website: Investigation Reports - Commonwealth Ombudsman.