News
In Practice: Hackathon EOIs open
Applications for the RACGP’s annual GP thinktank are open, where teams collaborate to solve challenges impacting general practice.
The RACGP’s Hackathon brings teams of GPs together to brainstorm solutions to strengthen the profession.
This week’s In Practice also includes new information about protecting your practice from scams, nominations for a WONCA award, and new answers to questions on Medicare compliance.
RACGP Hackathon 2026: Expressions of interest now open
Are you interested in the future of digital health in general practice? Join like-minded GPs, clinical entrepreneurs and developers at the RACGP Hackathon 2026, 13–15 March in Sydney.
Over three days, participants will collaborate to solve real-life challenges impacting general practice and develop innovative solutions to support GPs and patients alike.
Why get involved?
- Contribute to healthcare progress and innovation
- Build skills and connections beyond day-to-day practice
- Compete for a prize to support further development of your solution
EOIs can be submitted online.
Scam awareness
In partnership with Services Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) is seeking to promote awareness of scams targeting health professionals to gain access to their Provider Digital Access (PRODA) accounts. These credentials are then used in a range of ways for scammers to seek financial benefits they are not entitled to, including Medicare benefits.
A new
fact sheet on this topic is now available. This includes content on best practice protection for health professionals, including what to look out for to prevent being impacted by a scam.
Responses to Medicare compliance webinar questions
In July the RACGP hosted a
webinar presented by the DoHDA’s Benefits Integrity Division on Medicare compliance. With too many questions received to answer on the night, the college has prepared written responses to those unanswered, in consultation with the department. The Q&A is available on the
RACGP website.
WONCA Five Star Doctor Award
Earlier this year, WONCA launched its award of excellence in healthcare, the
Five Star Doctor Award.
Awarded annually by each region, all regional winners are considered for the Global Five Star Doctor award, made each biennium, with the winner receiving the award at the WONCA World Conference.
The Five Star Doctor is judged on the following criteria:
- A care provider who considers the patient holistically as an individual and as an integral part of a family and the community, and provides high-quality, comprehensive, continuous, and personalised care within a long-term, trusting relationship
- A decision maker who makes scientifically sound judgements about investigations, treatments and use of technologies that take into account the person’s wishes, ethical values, cost-effective considerations, and the best possible care for the patient
- A communicator who promotes healthy lifestyles by effective explanation and advocacy, thereby empowering individuals and groups to enhance and protect their health
- A community leader who, having won the trust of the people they work with, can reconcile individual and community health requirements, advise citizen groups, and initiate action on behalf of the community
- A manager who can work harmoniously with individuals and organisations both within and outside the health system to meet the needs of individual patients and communities, making appropriate use of available health data
Nominations for the Regional Five Star Award are
open until 2 January 2026.
Updates to Electronic National Residential Medication Charts
The DoHDA has made updates to Electronic National Residential Medication Charts (eNRMC) and electronic prescribing in residential aged care:
- Vendor conformance: Eight out of 10 eNRMC software vendors have successfully achieved electronic prescribing conformance – a significant milestone in modernising medication management in residential aged care
- Extension for remaining vendors: Non-conformant eNRMC software vendors have been granted an extension until 1 April 2026 to achieve technical and legal conformance
- Transitional arrangements: The extension means that residential aged care homes using eNRMC systems whose vendors have not met conformance requirements with their latest software versions may continue operating under the current Transitional Arrangement until 1 April
- From 1 April, orders created using these systems will need to be supported by separate PBS prescriptions. Clinicians and pharmacists continuing to use non-conformant products should consider and manage any potential clinical risks associated with these systems
Further advice and updated resources will be available soon on
DoHDA’s website. More information is available
online.
Practical application of mandatory reporting for child sexual abuse
Webinar: Tuesday 2 December, 7.30 – 8.30 pm (AEDT)
CPD: 1 EA hour
Register online
Hosted in collaboration with RACGP Specific Interests and
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, this webinar is the second and final in the series, following an initial webinar on mandatory reporting. Knowmore Legal Service will provide additional contextual information on the practical application of mandatory reporting for child sexual abuse across Australia.
Log in below to join the conversation.
Department of Health Disability and Ageing electronic prescribing general practice security Hackathon Medicare compliance scams WONCA award
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