RDN is a not-for-profit, non-government charitable organisation that provides solutions to support the multidisciplinary rural health workforce. Our vision is for improved health service access for all Australians - no matter where they live.

We seek to support better health and wellbeing for people living in remote, rural, regional, Aboriginal and disadvantaged communities, particularly those in NSW and the ACT. To achieve this vision, we seek to grow and strengthen a capable primary health workforce, support communities with tailored health workforce solutions, support the capacity of health service organisations, contribute to policy and ensure RDN’s continued effectiveness.

We work collaboratively with health professionals, communities, service agencies, industry and Federal, State and Local governments. We are privileged to act as the Australian Government's designated Rural Workforce Agency for health in NSW; and the NSW and ACT fundholder for Rural Health Outreach and associated service programs.

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2. What is the Rural Doctors Association?

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) is a national industrial-political body representing the interests of doctors working in rural and remote Australia. The RDAA comprises Rural Doctors Associations in each state and territory. The RDA (NSW) maintains the RDA settlement package in rural New South Wales.
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3. What is an Area of Need?

An Area of Need (AoN) is a vacant position that has been recognised by the NSW Government Ministry of Health (MoH) as needing to be filled. Note that AoN is a MoH program and relates only to medical registration.

A practice has to formally apply for AoN status. If granted, AoN status applies only to the specific position defined in the application. It allows the practice to recruit an overseas trained doctor who would not otherwise be eligible for medical registration in NSW. AoN status is granted for a fixed period of time - usually three years and in a rural area. More information. AoN is often confused with Distribution of Priority Areas. These are two different terms and are not interchangeable. Refer to the Distribution of Priority Areas for further explanation.
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4. What is Medicare?

Medicare is Australia's universal health insurance system which provides Australians with free or subsidised medical treatment by a range of healthcare providers including General Practitioners (GPs). It is administered through the Australian Government - Services Australia. Medicare also processes provider number applications for medical officers. More information.
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5. What is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme?

The Australian Government subsidises a wide range of prescription medicine through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Australian residents and eligible overseas visitors receive subsidised medicines provided their medication is listed on the PBS and the prescribing doctor has a valid prescriber number. More information.
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6. What is a Prescriber Number?

For a pharmacist to be able to provide prescription medications through the PBS i.e. at a subsidised price, the prescribing doctor must have a valid Prescriber Number and quote this on the prescription. Prescriber Numbers are issued by Medicare Australia. All doctors registered in Australia are eligible for a Prescriber Number. For more information about Prescriber Numbers and to download a Prescriber Number form, go to the Australian Government - Services Australia.
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7. What is a Visiting Medical Officer?

A Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) is a medical practitioner in private practice who also provides medical services in a public hospital. VMOs are not hospital employees but are contracted by the Local Health District (LHD) to provide specific medical services in nominated health facilities. For a General Practitioner (GP) to be granted VMO rights in a hospital, their core skills must be ‘credentialed’ by the relevant LHD and they must be granted ‘clinical privileges’ to provide services in nominated health facilities.
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8. What are Local Health Districts?

Local Health District (LHDs) are run and funded by the NSW Government Ministry of Health. They have responsibility for the delivery of public health care in defined geographic areas of NSW. LHDs manage all public health facilities throughout NSW, from major teaching hospitals to small district hospitals. Eight LHDs cover the Sydney metropolitan region and seven LHDs cover rural and regional NSW. More information.
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9. What grants are available through RDN?

Through funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC), RDN is able to offer grants to eligible rural primary health care practitioners to help with relocation, site visits and improve practice sustainability. More information about Grants.
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10. What is the Workforce Incentive Program?

The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) provides financial incentives to both health practitioners and practices to continue to provide high quality care into rural communities. More information.

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11. What is the Remoteness Area Classification?

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification - Remoteness Area (ASGC-RA) is a classification system measuring remoteness of different geographical regions. There are five RA categories:

RA1: Major cities of Australia
RA2: Inner regional Australia
RA3: Outer regional Australia
RA4: Remote Australia
RA5: Very remote Australia

RA categories are used by the Australian Government to determine eligibility for some government programs for rural doctors. The Modified Monash Model, classification system was introduced 1 July 2015 and is being used for some programs. For information about the RA classification for a location, search the map on the DoctorConnect website.
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12. What is a Provider Number?

For a patient’s medical care to be subsidised by Medicare, the treating health professional must have a current Medicare Provider Number appropriate for the location in which the service is provided. The service must be one that is subsidised by Medicare. Doctors also require a Provider Number to refer patients to specialist medical practitioners so that the patient can claim a Medicare rebate for the specialist service. Medicare Provider Numbers are issued by Service Australia - Medicare. Some restrictions apply to doctors’ eligibility for a Medicare Provider Number. More information .
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13. What is the More Doctors for Rural Australia Program (MDRAP)?

The More Doctors for Rural Australia Program (MDRAP) is a new 3GA program that enables doctors who are non-vocationally registered to work in rural regions and access Medicare. The program is part of the Stronger Rural Health Strategy. MDRAP commenced on 29 April 2019 and is administered by the Rural Workforce Agencies in each state and the Northern Territory. The program is open to Australian citizens and residents, and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) – including permanent and temporary residents – who meet the guidelines for the program.

In NSW, RDN administers MDRAP. Please contact the Workforce team to discuss eligibility. Learn more about MDRAP.
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14. What is the Distribution Priority Area classification?

Distribution Priority Area (DPA) is the classification system that replaces the District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) assessment for General Practitioners and Bonded Medical Placements (BMP). The Australian Government determines DPA status based on the demographics and socio-economic status of patients in the town. A DPA classification means that there are not enough GP services for the community and uses Modified Monash Model (MMM) to provide accurate assessment of the distribution of the GP workforce in the region.

Doctors affected by the 10 Year Moratorium must work in a DPA location to obtain a Medicare provider number. More information on DPA is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care website. You can check the DPA status of a location/locality on the DoctorConnect website by entering the address of the location into the Health Workforce Locator and then selecting the 'Distribution Priority Area' filter for GPs or BMP layer.

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15. What is the 10 Year Moratorium?

The 10 Year Moratorium is the common name for the provider number restrictions imposed by Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act. Those Overseas Trained Doctors (OTDs) and overseas medical students who were not registered as a medical practitioner in Australia, or had not applied to sit the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exams by 1 January 1997, are likely to be subject to the Moratorium. The Australian Government can grant exemptions to the Moratorium if the doctor works in a designated Distribution Priority Area. The duration of the Moratorium will vary depending on when the doctor first obtained medical registration in Australia and when they obtained permanent Australian residency. A reduction on the Moratorium may be given if a doctor works in a nominated rural or remote area. More information.
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16. What is the Other Medical Practitioners Program?

The Other Medical Practitioners Program (OMPS) are a collective of programs designed to provide higher medical rebates to medical practitioners without fellowship. From 1 July 2023, the Other Medical Practitioner Extension Program (OMPEP) continues the higher rebate access for doctors registered in an OMP program as at 30 June 2023. More information.
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17. What is the 5 Year International Medical Graduate (IMG) Scheme?

The 5 Year International Medical Graduate Scheme (also known as the 5 Year Scheme) offers reductions to the 10 Year Moratorium to International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who work in locations which are the most difficult to fill. IMGs applying to join this program must gain Fellowship of a specialist General Practice College and Australian permanent residency by the end of their program to meet the requirements of the Scheme. More information.
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18. What is Australian General Practice Training?

Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) is run by the Australian Government and provides vocational training for medical graduates wishing to specialise in general practice. The two endpoints of the AGPT program are the Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) and the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP). The AGPT program is a three or four-year full-time training program delivered through RACGP or ACRRM. More information.
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19. What is a Settlement Package?

The Rural Doctors Association (RDA) Settlement Package establishes payment rates for medical services provided by General Practitioner Visiting Medical Officers (GP VMOs) at 125 small (RDA Settlement Package) hospitals in rural NSW. These payment rates are substantially higher than Medicare rebates for similar item numbers in private practice.

The RDA Settlement Package schedule of fees is indexed annually. The package ensures that GP VMOs providing services in rural hospitals, and this may include on-call and after-hours services, are remunerated appropriately for the services they provide.

For more information about the RDA Settlement Package and a list of hospitals, visit the RDA (NSW) website.
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20. What is the Modified Monash Model?

The Modified Monash Model (MMM) is a classification system implemented 1 July 2015 for some Australian Government programs. MMM categorises metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas according to both geographical remoteness and town size. More information.

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