ARV Appoints Australian Rural Medical Services to Provide Medical Center Services

Following a competitive tender process, ARV has appointed Australian Rural Medical Services (AusRMS) to provide winter medical centre services at Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek, commencing in winter 2025.

AusRMS is a leading provider of specialised healthcare services, focusing on remote, rural, and alpine regions, and brings 20 years of experience providing medical services at Perisher Valley. AusRMS is dedicated to delivering high-quality trauma care, general practice services, and emergency medical treatment and has a deep commitment to patient care, innovation, and operational excellence.

ARV CEO, Amber Gardner said “AusRMS brings a wealth of specialist alpine knowledge and expertise, and by providing these services at the three major Victorian resorts can realise operational and administrative efficiencies, as well as provide attractive employment and training opportunities for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.”

The tender process followed a comprehensive review of medical centre service provision in the resorts, which saw a strategy and framework developed that informed recommendations and models suitable for the specific needs of the alpine resorts. This review, and subsequent implementation of the recommendations, found that an expansive tender was required to fill service provision gaps and enable ARV to improve coordination between the resorts and realise efficiencies in service delivery.

“Whilst ARV is not legislatively required to provide medical centre services,” said Gardner “we believe it is necessary to facilitate access to medical care at the resorts, and in particular on-mountain trauma and emergency care which greatly reduces the impact on regional healthcare providers.”

Practice Principal and CEO of AusRMS, Dr Lincoln Pike, said “we thank ARV for this opportunity to serve and become part of the Victorian alpine community for the next three years. We’re honoured to expand on our experience at Perisher to provide an on-mountain GP and pharmacy service and ensure that locals and visitors can rely on the highest level of emergency care. We welcome some familiar faces back to each practice along with other advanced practitioners from emergency and expedition medicine. We are grateful for the support of the Mount Beauty, Mansfield and Bright practices and look forward to working together with the ski patrollers, physios, ambos and communities of Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Mt Buller to achieve our common goals.”