CENTRELINK will release streamlined medical certificate and disability support pension medical report forms after GPs identified them as some of the most frustrating pieces of red tape in general practice.

AMA Council of General Practice deputy chair Dr Cathy Hutton said GPs responding to last year’s ‘Red Tape’ survey had complained about duplicate questions in the forms and the confusing way they were laid out.

“It’s annoying when you’re wasting your time having to say the same thing over and over again,” she said.

“This was an area where GPs felt the red tape was extremely frustrating.”

The AMA consulted the department of human services about the forms. Redrafted versions will be available from July.

“In consultation with the AMA the department has removed duplicate questions and improved question clarity and flow,” a spokesperson said.

“We’ve also clarified [that] the time taken to complete the report counts towards the length of consultation claimed.”

The spokesperson said GPs could save even more time by completing the forms through the Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) portal, which would allow the forms to be prepopulated with relevant patient information.

The HPOS portal also allows GPs to subscribe for telehealth incentives, check eligibility for MBS claims and register for the Practice Nurse Incentive Program.

“I think it’s great to have the conversation between the departments and the GPs who are actually working with these forms,” Dr Hutton said.

“GPs have told us they also have ongoing frustrations with WorkCover forms and Department of Veterans’ Affairs forms and these are areas the association will be looking at in the future."