13 July 2023
WA Primary Health Alliance acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders of this country and recognises the significant importance of their cultural heritage, values and beliefs and how these contribute to the positive health and wellbeing of the whole community. Throughout this newsletter, the term 'Aboriginal' is used to refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, unless stated otherwise.
MyMedicare
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MyMedicare is a new voluntary patient registration model. It aims to strengthen the relationship between patients, their general practice, GP and primary care teams. Registration in MyMedicare is voluntary for patients and practices. General practices that register will benefit by having access to:
In preparation for MyMedicare, we encourage practices to register their practice as an organisation and link their practitioners to the organisation in PRODA. This important step will prepare your practice for future steps in the MyMedicare program, as well as other programs from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. At this stage, these two steps are the only ones practices need to take to get ready. For detailed information on how to register your organisation, go to Services Australia Organisation Register training information. For additional support email ORGANISATION.REGISTER.SUPPORT@servicesaustralia.gov.au or Phone 1800 700 199 and select Option 1. The Australian Association of Practice Managers WA practice manager of the year 2023 award recipient, Collean Guest, recently completed the registration of her organisation and linking of practitioners in PRODA. Collean said that while the process of registration can take time, once completed it will only need small additions. The registration is essential for MyMedicare and also for other programs such as Closing the Gap PBS Co-payments registration of patients. WAPHA congratulates Collean on the award for AAPM WA State Practice Manager of the year! What a great achievement in a time of unprecedented reform in Primary Care.
In preparation for MyMedicare you may want to consider the following:
Primary Sense Update
Recent virtual education sessions have seen more than 125 participants join us to learn more about how to make the most of Primary Sense in their practices. Participants were Practice Managers, Practice Nurses and General Practitioners. These sessions were held for practices across both country and metropolitan areas of WA, with the next virtual session for country WA practices at 1pm Friday 14 July. Primary Sense is installed at more than 86% of eligible practices and we look forward to opportunities to educate, collaborate and network with Practice Managers and Nurses. A series of in person sessions in our Subiaco office are planned. These sessions have been designed to introduce Primary Sense to Practice Managers and Nurses whilst also extending on current knowledge and experience using the tool in general practice.
A series of Primary Sense education sessions across July and August 2023 will be run at our Subiaco office. Attendance is limited to 20 people per session so please register at your earliest convenience. To view the education session flyer click here REGISTER HERE - VARIOUS DATES AVAILABLE For further information on either our virtual or in person Primary Sense sessions, or to speak to your Primary Care Navigator or QI Coach, please contact Practice Assist on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900).
General Practice GP Grants
More than 60 per cent of practices that applied to be part of the Strengthening Medicare General Practice Grant program have now received their grant funds. We expect the remaining practices will receive their funds by 1 August 2023. Please contact us, if this is not the case. A reminder that practices should keep appropriate records of expenditure as a financial acquittal, as an evaluation will be required at the end of the program. Practices should retain receipts in line with Australian Taxation Office record-keeping rules for business. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has also indicated that a small number of random audits will occur. For more information see the reporting and compliance responsibilities information within the Quick Reference Guide. Eligible practices that have not applied for a grant but which have extenuating circumstances for not applying during the grant period, may still be considered. Any practice that has not yet begun their application process will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please continue to send any queries to the Practice Assist team on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) or GPgrants@wapha.org.au
Feature - Diabetes in Focus
National Diabetes Week runs from 9 to 15 July 2023, Diabetes Australia are kick-starting Australia’s biggest conversation about the impact of diabetes in this country – a conversation to drive change, and to create hope for the future. Diabetes Australia - National Diabetes Week. Diabetes is a long-term chronic condition in which blood glucose levels become too high because the body produces little or no insulin, or cannot use insulin properly. Over many years, high blood glucose levels can damage various parts of the body, especially the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. It can result in permanent disability (such as blindness and lower limb amputations), mental health problems, reduced quality of life and premature death (AIHW 2015; Burrow & Ride 2016). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost four times more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to have diabetes or pre-diabetes, as well as a higher rate of hospitalisation and death from diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians.
General practice is the ideal setting to address identified care gaps for the treatment of diabetes, due to the role GPs play in primary and secondary prevention. Early diagnosis, optimal treatment and effective ongoing support and management reduces the risk of diabetes related complications. The RACGP recommends that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their risk of diabetes assessed every three years from 18 years of age. To effectively manage the cohort of people living with diabetes in your practice it is firstly important to understand your diabetes patient population. You may wish to run a bulk patient archive as a first step to ensure your patient database is accurate and up to date. The Primary Sense report ‘Diabetes Mellitus – Diagnosed and Undiagnosed’ can assist by identifying patients that:
This Diabetes reports user guide is a handy reference on using Primary Sense reports pertaining to diabetes in practice. For support with undertaking these quality improvement activities please reach out to your local Quality Improvement Coach via Practice Assist
Diabetes WA is proud to be working directly with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOS) to understand community challenges and support their work in delivering local diabetes healthcare. Aboriginal Australians are nearly four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-Aboriginal Australians and are far more likely to experience life-changing complications. Diabetes WA is committed to delivering a culturally safe service and we are guided by our ACCHO stakeholders, our Aboriginal Health Practitioners and consumer feedback. We have co-designed programs and resources using the experience and insights of our Aboriginal cohort and will continue to be focused on Closing the Gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal people. Diabetes WA works with ACCHOS to deliver clinical services on country around the state. Our models of care include fly in clinics and outreach services, supporting individuals in the Kimberley, Pilbara the Goldfield regions and more. These clinics are also supported by telehealth services. Our Diabetes Telehealth Service offers specialist support and education alongside face-to-face clinics or as a stand-alone service. Demand for our telehealth service has increased, as regions face challenges with clinical workforce shortages coupled with rising numbers of Type 2 Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes. Diabetes WA’s Telehealth for Country WA Service is a free clinical support and education service for people living with diabetes in rural and remote areas of WA. To access this service, please email telehealth@diabeteswa.com.au or call (08) 9436 6241. A GP referral is not a requirement, and your patient can also self-refer via the same channels. The Diabetes WA Clinic is a person-centred service designed to support your patient to self-manage their diabetes. One on one appointments with a credentialled diabetes educator or dietitian are available online via telehealth and face to face at our metro location. To make a patient referral, please visit www.diabeteswa.com.au/clinic.