Lack of informed financial consent by health professionals: uncertainty & secrecy

Arguably, mandatory consent and informed consent should extend to mandatory informed financial consent (IFC), for all health practitioners where patients will incur costs to avoid the toxic effects of surprise invoices. Broad ethical and conduct guidance can be found in documents such as the 2020 Medical Board of Australia Good Medical Practice Code of Conduct and the 2024 Australian Medical Association (AMA) IFC position statement. The AMA expectation is clear enough that every medical practitioner should ensure that their patients are fully aware of their fees and that they encourage open discussion with their patients about health care costs. This is an example of a positive move towards specific IFC guidance. However, there remain inconsistencies between the codes and, unfortunately, an absence of guidance from some Colleges & Associations. Ahpra (Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency) should therefore consider the publication of consistent IFC guidance applicable to all Australian health practitioners.