Latest news with #AustralianHealthPractitionerRegulationAgency
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Rogue dentist a 'serious risk' to patients: regulator
A health watchdog has issued its first national public warning amid fears a suspended dentist facing a criminal trial may still be carrying out dental work. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Monday issued the public warning for dentist Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who it "believes poses a serious risk to persons because of his conduct". Terzi, from Western Australia, held dual registration as a dentist and a nurse until he was suspended from the professions on February 26. "He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered," the agency said in a statement. AHPRA, given power to make public alerts two years ago under changes to health practitioner laws, urged people who suspected they had treatment from Mr Terzi since his suspension to contact its criminal offences unit. Terzi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the regulator's claims. The warning, the first by AHPRA in two years, comes after Terzi pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in WA linked to his dental practice. Terzi faces two counts of knowingly or recklessly holding himself out to be registered under the state's Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and one count of carrying out a restricted dental act, Western Australia's Department of Justice said. The matter would return to Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when a trial date would be set, it said. AHPRA chief Justin Untersteiner said the alert meant "we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public". He said strict confidentiality obligations prevented it detailing the reasons for making the public statement but noted "the threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level". A health watchdog has issued its first national public warning amid fears a suspended dentist facing a criminal trial may still be carrying out dental work. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Monday issued the public warning for dentist Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who it "believes poses a serious risk to persons because of his conduct". Terzi, from Western Australia, held dual registration as a dentist and a nurse until he was suspended from the professions on February 26. "He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered," the agency said in a statement. AHPRA, given power to make public alerts two years ago under changes to health practitioner laws, urged people who suspected they had treatment from Mr Terzi since his suspension to contact its criminal offences unit. Terzi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the regulator's claims. The warning, the first by AHPRA in two years, comes after Terzi pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in WA linked to his dental practice. Terzi faces two counts of knowingly or recklessly holding himself out to be registered under the state's Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and one count of carrying out a restricted dental act, Western Australia's Department of Justice said. The matter would return to Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when a trial date would be set, it said. AHPRA chief Justin Untersteiner said the alert meant "we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public". He said strict confidentiality obligations prevented it detailing the reasons for making the public statement but noted "the threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level". A health watchdog has issued its first national public warning amid fears a suspended dentist facing a criminal trial may still be carrying out dental work. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Monday issued the public warning for dentist Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who it "believes poses a serious risk to persons because of his conduct". Terzi, from Western Australia, held dual registration as a dentist and a nurse until he was suspended from the professions on February 26. "He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered," the agency said in a statement. AHPRA, given power to make public alerts two years ago under changes to health practitioner laws, urged people who suspected they had treatment from Mr Terzi since his suspension to contact its criminal offences unit. Terzi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the regulator's claims. The warning, the first by AHPRA in two years, comes after Terzi pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in WA linked to his dental practice. Terzi faces two counts of knowingly or recklessly holding himself out to be registered under the state's Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and one count of carrying out a restricted dental act, Western Australia's Department of Justice said. The matter would return to Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when a trial date would be set, it said. AHPRA chief Justin Untersteiner said the alert meant "we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public". He said strict confidentiality obligations prevented it detailing the reasons for making the public statement but noted "the threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level". A health watchdog has issued its first national public warning amid fears a suspended dentist facing a criminal trial may still be carrying out dental work. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Monday issued the public warning for dentist Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who it "believes poses a serious risk to persons because of his conduct". Terzi, from Western Australia, held dual registration as a dentist and a nurse until he was suspended from the professions on February 26. "He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered," the agency said in a statement. AHPRA, given power to make public alerts two years ago under changes to health practitioner laws, urged people who suspected they had treatment from Mr Terzi since his suspension to contact its criminal offences unit. Terzi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the regulator's claims. The warning, the first by AHPRA in two years, comes after Terzi pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in WA linked to his dental practice. Terzi faces two counts of knowingly or recklessly holding himself out to be registered under the state's Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and one count of carrying out a restricted dental act, Western Australia's Department of Justice said. The matter would return to Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when a trial date would be set, it said. AHPRA chief Justin Untersteiner said the alert meant "we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public". He said strict confidentiality obligations prevented it detailing the reasons for making the public statement but noted "the threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level".
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Public warned about suspended dentist
The public have been warned about a dentist who was suspended by the health watchdog but may still be operating on patients. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) released its first public statement under new laws to warn consumers about Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who held a dual dentist and nurse registration. Mr Terzi is under investigation and was suspended from practising both professions in February this year. AHPRA allege the suspended Western Australian practitioner poses a serious risk to people because of his conduct. AHPRA issued its first public statement under new laws to warn consumers about a man who may be operating as a dentist or nurse while he is suspended from practising. Photo: iStock Credit: Supplied 'He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered,' the statement read. Mr Terzi is facing criminal charges for recklessly holding himself as a registered dentist and carrying out a restricted dental act and is before the court. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. AHPRA chief executive officer Justin Untersteiner said the power to issue a warning to the general public came into force two years ago, but Monday's public statement is the first time these powers have been used. 'We take the matter of issuing public statements very seriously and will only ever issue such statements in exceptional circumstances where the public needs to be informed from a safety perspective,' he said. 'The threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level. The decision to issue a public statement may only be made when AHPRA or a National Board form a reasonable belief that a practitioner or person poses a serious risk to the public. 'Issuing this statement today means we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public.' Anyone who suspects they may have received treatment from or employed Peter Terzi/Taylor, or who has information that he has claimed to be a dentist or a nurse since February 26, is urged to contact AHPRA's Criminal Offences Unit.
The Age
5 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Soaring doctor fees are a pain, but medics have another problem
If you have a history of medical mayhem in your family, specialists are part of your life from early on. Sure, you might feel fine. But my darling GPs have a different vibe. Feeling fine means nothing to them. So it is, with still a good six months to go in 2025, that I've nearly reached my safety net. Probably by this weekend, I'll be there. The Medicare safety nets come in when you incur a certain amount of out-of-pocket costs for out-of-pocket medical services. There's a scheduled fee. Then there is what we're really charged. This week, the Grattan Institute released a report which revealed, kind of, the true cost of visiting a specialist in this country. It says 40 per cent of Australians saw a specialist in 2023-2024, and, with government, we spent nearly $9 billion in 2021-2022. More than one in five Australians who saw a specialist in 2023 was charged an extreme fee at least once. Grattan tells us one in 10 Australians who saw a psychiatrist ended up paying $400 in out-of-pocket costs for their initial consultation alone. Grattan has a bunch of excellent recommendations. My favourite would be to strip Medicare rebates from specialists charging excessive fees. And then set the competition watchdog on specialist costs. Perfect. But money is not the only problem. It's the emotional cost, the cognitive load. Decades back, we spent time concentrating on the way doctors dealt with patients. Universities started to interview students based on their interpersonal skills – and choosing them on that basis, as well as stuff they could study for. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency received more than 11,000 complaints about medical practitioners last year – well up from the year before. About one in six of those complaints is about communication. Whatever universities and specialist colleges are teaching their students about communication, it is not enough. Five out of six in the list of top earners from the Australian Taxation Office are doctors of one kind or another. I'm sure they're happy. I wouldn't mind paying their gaps if I also thought I was getting good service. Clear, open communication. Warm hearts, warm hands. Medical receptionists who are not so overloaded they can't do their jobs properly. (A special shout-out to Anna. You are a gem and so is your boss.) A quick but seriously anecdotal and eavesdroppy survey of the people who shared a waiting room with me last week – people going to the medical receptionist every 20 minutes or so to ask how much longer they would have to wait. My own experience at this practice? Five hours of delay. 'Sorry, the doctor is very busy.' So are the rest of us.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Soaring doctor fees are a pain, but medics have another problem
If you have a history of medical mayhem in your family, specialists are part of your life from early on. Sure, you might feel fine. But my darling GPs have a different vibe. Feeling fine means nothing to them. So it is, with still a good six months to go in 2025, that I've nearly reached my safety net. Probably by this weekend, I'll be there. The Medicare safety nets come in when you incur a certain amount of out-of-pocket costs for out-of-pocket medical services. There's a scheduled fee. Then there is what we're really charged. This week, the Grattan Institute released a report which revealed, kind of, the true cost of visiting a specialist in this country. It says 40 per cent of Australians saw a specialist in 2023-2024, and, with government, we spent nearly $9 billion in 2021-2022. More than one in five Australians who saw a specialist in 2023 was charged an extreme fee at least once. Grattan tells us one in 10 Australians who saw a psychiatrist ended up paying $400 in out-of-pocket costs for their initial consultation alone. Grattan has a bunch of excellent recommendations. My favourite would be to strip Medicare rebates from specialists charging excessive fees. And then set the competition watchdog on specialist costs. Perfect. But money is not the only problem. It's the emotional cost, the cognitive load. Decades back, we spent time concentrating on the way doctors dealt with patients. Universities started to interview students based on their interpersonal skills – and choosing them on that basis, as well as stuff they could study for. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency received more than 11,000 complaints about medical practitioners last year – well up from the year before. About one in six of those complaints is about communication. Whatever universities and specialist colleges are teaching their students about communication, it is not enough. Five out of six in the list of top earners from the Australian Taxation Office are doctors of one kind or another. I'm sure they're happy. I wouldn't mind paying their gaps if I also thought I was getting good service. Clear, open communication. Warm hearts, warm hands. Medical receptionists who are not so overloaded they can't do their jobs properly. (A special shout-out to Anna. You are a gem and so is your boss.) A quick but seriously anecdotal and eavesdroppy survey of the people who shared a waiting room with me last week – people going to the medical receptionist every 20 minutes or so to ask how much longer they would have to wait. My own experience at this practice? Five hours of delay. 'Sorry, the doctor is very busy.' So are the rest of us.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Rogue dentist a 'serious risk' to patients: regulator
A health watchdog has issued its first national public warning amid fears a suspended dentist facing a criminal trial may still be carrying out dental work. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency on Monday issued the public warning for dentist Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who it "believes poses a serious risk to persons because of his conduct". Terzi, from Western Australia, held dual registration as a dentist and a nurse until he was suspended from the professions on February 26. "He remains under investigation and AHPRA believes he may be continuing to present himself as a registered dentist or nurse while he is suspended and unregistered," the agency said in a statement. AHPRA, given power to make public alerts two years ago under changes to health practitioner laws, urged people who suspected they had treatment from Mr Terzi since his suspension to contact its criminal offences unit. Terzi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the regulator's claims. The warning, the first by AHPRA in two years, comes after Terzi pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in WA linked to his dental practice. Terzi faces two counts of knowingly or recklessly holding himself out to be registered under the state's Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and one count of carrying out a restricted dental act, Western Australia's Department of Justice said. The matter would return to Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, when a trial date would be set, it said. AHPRA chief Justin Untersteiner said the alert meant "we can warn the public while we continue to take steps to assess and investigate matters that could raise a serious risk to the public". He said strict confidentiality obligations prevented it detailing the reasons for making the public statement but noted "the threshold for issuing a public statement is set at a high level".
