{"id":906999,"date":"2026-05-19T12:12:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/contract-doctors-charged-nsw-1-3-billion-one-claimed-to-work-25-hours-a-day-for-a-whole-year\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:12:32","slug":"contract-doctors-charged-nsw-1-3-billion-one-claimed-to-work-25-hours-a-day-for-a-whole-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/contract-doctors-charged-nsw-1-3-billion-one-claimed-to-work-25-hours-a-day-for-a-whole-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Contract doctors charged NSW $1.3 billion. One claimed to work 25 hours a day for a whole year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A doctor charged taxpayers $3.5 million, and another billed for the equivalent of five full-time roles in a single year, an audit of NSW\u2019s porous payment system for contractor medicos reveals.<\/p>\n

The NSW Auditor-General\u2019s report, released on Thursday, warned that NSW Health\u2019s \u201csignificant and persistent weaknesses\u201d in its remuneration processes for 8000 visiting medical officers (VMOs) exposed it to errors and fraud.<\/p>\n

Some visiting medical officers are charging NSW Health millions.<\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One doctor claimed payment for working 9250 hours in 2024-2025, an impossible feat given it would be the equivalent of working 25.3 hours a day, every day of the year.<\/p>\n

NSW spent $1.32 billion on expenses claimed by VMOs, who provide essential services in the public system, particularly in regional and rural areas where medical services struggle to recruit and retain staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the audit office found that NSW Health\u2019s \u201cfailures\u201d to effectively monitor VMO payments, compliance and \u201cemerging risks\u201d enabled some doctors to double-dip \u2013 billing multiple local health districts for the same hours worked.<\/p>\n

The top five billing VMOs charged between $1.6 million and $3.5 million in 2024-25, and 93 VMOs billed for the equivalent of 1.5 full-time roles. <\/p>\n

VMO hires were largely stopgaps rather than long-term strategic planning, with little consideration for value for money, and VMO spending has increased by more than 10 per cent annually, the report said.<\/p>\n

South Western Sydney LHD paid more than $405 million to VMOs, outspending rural and regional LHDs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Australian Medical Association (AMA) NSW vice president Dr Fred Betros said this increasing VMO expenditure reflected rising patient demand and growing pressure on the public hospital system.<\/p>\n

Betros said VMO determinations and related awards were \u201coutdated and no longer fit-for-purpose\u201d, and \u201cthe lack of oversight and the lack of governance is a major issue\u201d.<\/p>\n

The report also found a breakdown in \u201csegregation of duties\u201d, with more than $10 million paid for claims where the same individual performed both the checking and approval functions, and extensive use of \u201cmiscellaneous\u201d claims.<\/p>\n

NSW Health paid anaesthetist VMOs more than $300 million, the highest billing specialty overall.<\/p>\n

Betros said this was not surprising, given that anaesthetists were essential to every surgery performed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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General practitioners were the next top-invoicing group \u2013 billing more than $172 million \u2013 amid GP shortages<\/a> in the regions and Sydney\u2019s outer suburbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

VMO psychiatrists \u2013 deployed in large numbers after staff specialist psychiatrists resigned during a protracted dispute<\/a> with the Minns government in 2025 \u2013 billed almost $127 million.<\/p>\n

More than $5.5 million was paid to VMOs for services More than $5.5 million was paid to VMOs for services provided two years or more prior to the invoice date, flouting NSW Health policy<\/p>\n

NSW Health accepted the report\u2019s recommendations, including strengthening VMO remuneration governance and establishing mandatory controls for local health districts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A NSW Health spokesperson said its VMO expenditure supported critical clinical services that could not be delivered without them.<\/p>\n

NSW Health was committed to improving oversight and protecting public funds, the spokesperson said, and was establishing new safeguards, including a statewide VMO compliance dashboard.<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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From our partners<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

Rachel Rasker, Kate Aubusson
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A doctor charged taxpayers $3.5 million, and another billed for the equivalent of five full-time roles in a single year, an audit of NSW\u2019s porous payment system for contractor medicos reveals. The NSW Auditor-General\u2019s report, released on Thursday, warned that NSW Health\u2019s \u201csignificant and persistent weaknesses\u201d in its remuneration processes for 8000 visiting medical officers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":907000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4026,22241],"tags":[6447,9009],"class_list":{"0":"post-906999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-contract","8":"category-doctors","9":"tag-contract","10":"tag-doctors"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}