“Doctor shopping” and fraud allegations are the two main areas of concern for the Financial Industry Complaints Services panel, which has released its first annual report.

FICS, which merged with the Financial Services Complaints Resolution Scheme last year, dealt with 618 insurance-related complaints during the year. In addition, there were 87 complaints related to financial planning, 85 to stockbroking and 23 to managed investments. General information calls totalled almost 10,000.

“Complainants often express their doubts about the impartiality of a doctor who is regularly employed by an insurer and considered to have a bias,” according to FICS panel Chairman Norman O’Bryan. “The converse is also known. Complainants seek out and use doctors known to be sympathetic to the victims of an illness.”

CEO Alison Maynard said “doctor shopping” usually leads the panel to seek an independent opinion of suitably qualified specialists from a list kept by FICS.

Issues facing the service in the year ahead include improving consumer handling times, dealing with systemic issues, increasing customer awareness, reviewing the current fee structure, improving information technology systems and harmonising with other schemes. Ms Maynard said the Australian Banking Industry Ombudsman and the General Insurance Enquiries & Complaints Ltd have discussed ways to share resources, “particularly the adoption of one telephone number to access all three services”.

“As even more providers of financial services will be required to provide access to external alternative dispute resolution schemes as a result of the FSRB, it is seen as appropriate to the schemes to consider offering joint services to consumers,” she said.