Bariatric surgeons say their indemnity premiums have hit $69,000 a year
The rising number of claims against surgeons is being linked to disgruntled patients who have accessed their super to pay for surgery.
The indemnity premiums of bariatric surgeons now average $69,900 a year, a survey shows, triggering claims that the surgery’s future is unsustainable.
Researchers questioned 115 surgeons working in private practice, with one revealing they were faced with a $500,000 premium.
Professor Lilian Kow, a general surgeon who led the survey, said although many qualified for the Federal Government’s premium support scheme, the financial burden was forcing many to reconsider their future in bariatric surgery.
“Surgeons are being penalised by rising premiums often driven by broader trends, not their own clinical records,” Professor Kow from the College of Medicine and Public Health at Adelaide’s Flinders University added.
