EIM’s solution to cut national health bill
May 11, 2012
If it is ongoing savings in an ever-increasing health budget the Federal Government are looking for, lobbyists at Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Australia believe they have the solution.
EIM’s aim to make every doctor consider physical activity and exercise as a standard part of the treatment program may seem ambitious but Anita Hobson-Powell from Exercise is Medicine Australia believes it’s a significant factor in improving community health and driving down the cost of health care.
“The evidence is there, if we can encourage health care providers, regardless of speciality, to review and assess every patient’s physical activity levels at every visit we will see an overall improvement in the public’s health and therefore a significant reduction in the national health bill,” said Ms Hobson-Powell.
“If patients are counselled on appropriate exercise regimes and each visit to a provider is concluded with a prescription or referral to an accredited exercise physiologist or fitness professional, we can save billions of dollars currently committed to treatment. Prevention is where the real savings can be found.”
EIM is not only celebrating its first anniversary on May 20 but also its whirlwind of success in lobbying for widespread recognition of the essential role of physical activity and exercise in chronic disease prevention.
In recent months EIM has been advocating for the inclusion of physical activity vital sign questions in medical software and launched the Interactive Adult Pre-Exercise Screening System (APSS) Tool to enable both general practitioners and the public to take a simple multiple-choice online test to see if they are safe to start an exercise program.
In addition, the recent launch of the EIM Physical Activity Calendar of Events (PACE) is an Australian first. The calendar provides a one-stop source of physical activity events around the country such as fun runs or walks, triathlons and 24-hour challenges to help Australians find out what events are happening in their state and to motivate them to stay active.
“According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), about a third of Australians will suffer from at least one chronic condition which really means everyone is affected, either directly or through a family member. If every doctor considers exercise for every patient at every visit we can change the future for the next generation,” said Ms Hobson-Powell.
For more information please visit www.exerciseismedicine.org.au.
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