News
In Practice: Unpacking the Medicare compliance process
An upcoming webinar will aim to alleviate some of the fear and misconceptions that exist around compliance.
The webinar will explore how to claim Medicare items appropriately and provide an overview of the PSR process for GPs.
This week’s In Practice also includes details about the upcoming rollout of the new Shingrix vaccine, a reminder about thunderstorm asthma, a webinar on child maltreatment, information on the migration of some Open Arms apps to the DVA website, and an RACGP Plus offer for members.
Unpacking the Medicare compliance process
Webinar: Monday 13 November, 7.00 pm (AEDT)
A new RACGP-hosted webinar, presented with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoH) and the Professional Services Review (PSR), will aim to alleviate some of the fear and misconceptions that exist around Medicare compliance.
DoH Senior Medical Adviser Dr Sarah Mahoney is due to present on the principles of how to claim Medicare items appropriately as well as how the department’s compliance work relates to and differs from the work of the PSR.
Meanwhile, Acting Director of the PSR Dr Antonio Di Dio will provide an overview of the PSR process for GPs, including how it determines if a practitioner has engaged in inappropriate practice.
Visit the RACGP website for more information or to register.
Changes to shingles vaccination
From 1 November, Shingrix will replace Zostavax on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for the prevention of shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia.
A two-dose course of Shingrix will be available free for:
- people aged 65 years and over
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 years and over
- immunocompromised people aged 18 years and over with:
- haemopoietic stem cell transplant
- solid organ transplant
- haematological malignancy
- advanced or untreated HIV.
Respective state or territory health departments will inform providers when they can start ordering Shingrix, which can be done through the usual NIP vaccine ordering channels.
Further information to support the introduction of Shingrix to the NIP will be made available in the coming weeks. Providers can also get the latest NIP updates by
subscribing to the DoH email list.
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma
GPs play a central role in reducing the potential impacts of epidemic thunderstorm asthma (ETSA) on hospitals and other tertiary treatment centres through prevention and early management.
The DoH’s
preparedness guidance for GP respiratory clinics helps GPs to prepare for the ETSA season by reacquainting themselves and other staff to ETSA and preparing at-risk patients, clinical protocols, supplies, facilities, and their workforce for a potential ETSA event.
Actions include:
- checking the ETSA risk forecast every day, setting up a watch zone to receive advice and warnings for your area, and on high-risk days preparing for possible cases (for example 30–60 minutes after a storm passes)
- staying open later on high-risk days
- ensuring patients have up-to-date asthma action plans or seasonal allergic rhinitis treatment plans
- putting up thunderstorm asthma and asthma first aid posters in practices, and making information brochures available (these are available in a range of community languages)
- plan for potential patient surges, including by ensuring the practice has sufficient supplies of spacers and reliever medications
- providing advice to patients with asthma and/or seasonal hay fever to protect themselves during grass pollen season.
A general practice approach to the struggling child in the vulnerable family
Webinar: Tuesday 14 November, 7.30 – 9.00 pm (AEDT)
CPD: 1.5 educational activities (EA)
This webinar will look at the incidence and nature of child maltreatment in Australia and, taking a child-centred approach, will explore how GPs can support and strengthen vulnerable families.
It will also cover practical approaches for dealing with common presentations and how to best communicate with families with a struggling child, including key messages that can be used.
This collaboration between the Psychological Medicine, Abuse and Violence in Families, and Child and Young Person’s Health RACGP Specific Interest groups will include a Q&A with the group Chairs.
Important information regarding Open Arms apps
Open Arms apps ‘The Right Mix’, ‘PTSD Coach’, ‘High Res’, and ‘Operation Life’ are no longer available for download from the Apple or Google Play stores.
Instead, tools from these apps have been migrated to the
self-help section of the Open Arms website.
For current users, the apps will still be accessible. However, device operating system updates may affect app functionality.
More information is available on the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.
RACGP Plus Cubiko offer
RACGP members can get 50% off the $500 set-up fee for a full subscription to Cubiko.
To find out more, log in to
the RACGP member portal to access the promotional code.
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