WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) is supporting general practices across Western Australia by providing GP Innovation Grants of up to $1,500 per practice, including GST, for the purchase of information technology (IT) equipment to participate in virtual programs. To apply for a grant, log in to the WAPHA portal and submit the online application form by the closing date of Friday 23 April 2021. If required, email Practice Assist for log in details. Don’t miss this one-time-only opportunity to take advantage of WAPHA’s GP Innovation Grants, which are being allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. This grant is open to practices that meet the RACGP definition of a general practice. If you would like more information about WAPHA’s GP Innovation Grants, view the fact sheet, email Practice Assist or call 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478).
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has released the draft of the RACGP Standards for general practice residential aged care (1st edition) (Standards for GPRAC) for public consultation.
The RACGP has a 27 year history in the development of standards for use in a primary healthcare setting. All of the RACGP’s standards form a foundational benchmark for quality and safety in Australian general practice.
To ensure the Standards for GPRAC are fit for purpose, improve access and enhance care to residents, the RACGP invites interested Members, individuals and organisations to review the draft and provide feedback.
The draft has been developed by the RACGP Working group - Standards for general practice residential aged care and the RACGP Expert Committee - Standards for General Practices and has been informed by:
The consultation phase will run from 8 October 2019 and conclude on 5 November 2019. To access the draft version of the Standards for GPRAC, please click here. To provide feedback, please email the RACGP.
13/03/2019
The Shared Debt Recovery Scheme (SDRS) will commence from 1 July 2019. The SDRS will introduce a fairer approach to billing practices and will enable the Department to hold an organisation responsible for a portion of any debts incurred as a result of incorrect Medicare claiming.
This change recognises that there has been an increase in the role of practices, corporate entities and hospitals in the billing of MBS services on behalf of individual practitioners. It also highlights that both parties have a responsibility to ensure MBS claims are made correctly, in that:
Mr Morrison announced that from 1 April, Australians at risk of heart disease will be eligible for a multi-point heart check-up, which will be estimated to prevent 76,500 heart attacks — 9100 of them fatal — and save $1.5 billion over the next five years. 1 April 2019, will bring a Medicare rebate of $72.80 for the half-hour service, in which a GP will check a patient’s blood pressure, cholesterol, lifestyle factors, smoking status and family history then estimate their risk of a heart attack in the next five years.
Prevention is key. This dedicated Medicare item for heart health checks will save and protect lives. Medicare access will enable GPs and patients to work together to manage their risk factors hopefully preventing a heart attack or development of heart disease.
The independent medical experts at the Medical Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce will also conduct a review with the potential for further development of this new Medicare item. More information
The Quality Improvement (QI) Practice Incentive Payment (PIP) is due to commence from 1 May 2019. The current PIP payments for Asthma, Cervical Screening, Diabetes, Aged Care Access and Quality Prescribing will cease from 30 April 2019, while the PIP Incentives for After Hours, eHealth, Indigenous Health, Procedural General Practice, Rural Loading and Teaching will remain unchanged.
The new QI PIP aims to improve:
As part of the QI PIP, practices will be required to commit to quality improvement activities and sharing de-identified general practice data. This also supports general practice accreditation, which encourages general practices to pursue continuous quality improvement and best practice standards.
General practices eligible to participate in the QI PIP can apply from 1 May 2019. QI PIP guidelines, including data governance guidelines, are yet to be provided by the Australian Department of Health. Further updates will be provided through Practice Connect when information becomes available, or you can register for the Incentives News Updates available through the Australian Government Department of Human Services.
WAPHA supports over 350 practices in WA through data sharing arrangements. If your practice is interested in establishing a data-sharing arrangement with WAPHA, further information is available from WAPHA’s website or contact your Primary Health Liaison.