General practice is evolving as clinicians and practice owners navigate financial pressures, changing patient expectations, and workforce challenges. For many, the traditional Medicare-only model is becoming harder to sustain, prompting new conversations about how practices operate and how GPs shape their careers.
In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard speaks with Dr Chris Mitchell, rural GP and co-founder of Medius Global, about his Beyond Medicare report and what it reveals about the changing landscape of general practice.
The discussion covers:
The financial pressures facing general practice and the challenges of sustaining traditional Medicare-only models.
How clinics are adapting through focused practice models, procedural work, private billing, niche services, and multidisciplinary care.
Which types of clinics appear to be adapting best to the changing environment.
Why diversification is becoming increasingly important for long-term sustainability, and how GPs are expanding their scope of practice and reshaping their careers.
The role of ongoing education and upskilling in helping GPs respond to changing patient demand.
The impact of these changes on GP morale and burnout, and how younger doctors' career expectations may differ from previous generations.
Where GPs and practice owners can start when considering changes to their practice model, including mindset shifts and overlooked opportunities.
What successful general practices might look like in the next five to ten years, and the outlook for the profession.
For GPs and practice owners considering their next steps, this discussion offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing the profession and how practices might build more sustainable models of care, as Matt and Chris explore the future of general practice, the opportunities clinicians may be overlooking, and what successful practices could look like in the years ahead.
Prefer a visual format?Watch the full video podcast:
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Read the Beyond Medicare report here >
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Listen to all episodes in the Focused Practice Conversations series.
This episode is also available on the HealthCert Education YouTube channel.
Focused Practice ConversationsHealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. |
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Guest: Dr Chris Mitchell
Dr Chris Mitchell is co-founder and principal of Medius Global and a Rural General Practitioner and Rural Generalist with more than 35 years of experience in Northern NSW. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Past President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He was previously Head of Adoption, Benefits and Change at the National eHealth Transition Authority (NEHTA). He has served on numerous health sector boards, including the RACGP, NPS MedicineWise, Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd, The Rural Doctors Network and North Coast GP Training. Chris was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2013 for services to general practice and received a Rural Doctors Network Rural Medical Service Award in 2025.
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