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Billing education package aims to ease GPs’ ‘huge concern’
The RACGP has released a new CPD solution to support members in optimising billing strategies and address concerns around financial and business viability.
The RACGP developed the new CPD resources after identifying financial and business viability is ‘a huge concern’ among members.
Following ‘huge concern’ from GPs, a new education platform has been launched to support members transition from bulk-billing to mixed-billing models, and to improve their practice’s financial viability.
This month, the RACGP released its ‘Optimising your billing strategy’ package of self-directed education developed for continuous professional development (CPD).
Designed to support GPs through a range of activities, members will find new billing solutions and strategies to effectively implement a new billing model to improve the financial and business sustainability of their practice.
From assessment of current billing practices to research, analysis, testing and communication, activities within this CPD solution will provide members with practical tools to navigate the transition smoothly.
The package offers GPs and GP practice owners evidence-informed Education Activities (EA), Reviewing Performance (RP) and Monitoring Outcomes (MO) CPD options.
May Chin is Senior Policy Officer for Business Sustainability with RACGP Funding and Health System Reform, and said the CPD solution was developed after the college identified financial and business viability as ‘a huge concern’ for GPs and practice owners.
‘It has been developed to support members – both GPs and GP practice owners – looking to transition from a bulk-billing model to a mixed-billing model, improving the financial viability of their practice,’ she told newsGP.
‘The solution contains self-directed educational activities aimed at enhancing business viability by supporting members from the first steps of the transition through to implementation.
‘These activities include how GPs and practice owners can assess their current billing practices, to research, analyse, test alternative billing strategies, set appropriate fees, and communicate the change with their patients.’
Ms Chin said the program is intended to educate, and guide members with practical tools to navigate the transition smoothly.
The CPD solution consists of five self-directed activities that offer members 20 hours of CPD, including:
- 11 RP hours
- 7.5 MO hours
- 1.5 EA hours.
The activities and resources are designed to provide members with structure and flexibility to allow them to engage according to their scope of practice.
Lizette FoxMiller is CPD Product Lead for RACGP Education, she told
newsGP the five self-directed CPD activities can be done independently or as a package.
‘The first three activities will help you evaluate your current billing arrangements, the final two activities will support those who decide to implement changes to their billing model,’ she said.
‘The activities are also ideal for early-career GPs and internationally trained GPs who are new to Australian general practice.’
For 2025, the RACGP plans to rollout other CPD solutions, similar to the billing solution, for:
- cultural safety
- GP wellbeing
- climate and environmental health
- digital health and artificial intelligence
- diabesity (diabetes and metabolic syndrome).
The CPD solution sits on the RACGP’s
‘Running a practice’ web page, but is also cross promoted in CPD’s member pages.
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