Practice Connect #212

Issue 212 -  23 January 2025


 

Welcome to Practice Connect, a fortnightly update for practice managers, principals, nurses and administration staff on relevant issues, upcoming events and education.

 

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Chronic Conditions Management - change activities for your general practice

It’s time to prepare your general practice for changes to Chronic Conditions Management (CCM) MBS items. Chronic Conditions Management (CCM) MBS item changes recommended by the  MBS Review Taskforce are ‘the first major change to chronic disease management in 20 years, and are scheduled to come into effect 1 July 2025’. 

Change is a dish best served in small, manageable bites! Australian general practices are well versed in continuous quality improvement methods and Plan – Do – Study – Act cycles that support change in busy environments, safely and sustainably whilst measuring results.

To help your practice prepare to transition to CCM with small, manageable changes WA Primary Health Alliance invites your practice to participate in our CCM activation series of high impact change activities with your practice team and patients to implement new chronic conditions management items, strengthening the connections that patients have with your practice through MyMedicare.

To get started, Activity 1 aims to engage patients returning to your practice for Chronic Disease Management Plans and team care arrangements in MyMedicare, and regular reviews in the future.

The next activity in the series will be released in February 2025 (Activity 2) and will aim to raise awareness among your practice team of MyMedicare, Chronic Conditions Management changes, and support your team to explore their roles in both MyMedicare and Chronic Conditions Management.

We look forward to supporting you through this CCM activation series!
 

Other steps your practice can take to prepare now

Here are some other ideas you might like to consider preparing for Chronic Conditions Management and MyMedicare patient registration:
  1. Discuss what these changes mean with your practice team. Identify any processes you need to review or update (e.g. incorporate MyMedicare registration in your chronic disease management workflows).
  2. Register your practice for MyMedicare if you have not done so already.
  3. Encourage your patients with a chronic condition or existing care plan to register with MyMedicare:
Prepare your practice team to speak with patients about MyMedicare. Discuss MyMedicare at a practice meeting and print copies of MyMedicare brochures and MyMedicare patient registration frequently asked questions to use in conversations with patients. 
Include the MyMedicare Registration form and brochure with your patient consent form.
Update your practice website to include links to MyMedicare patient registration information.
Place MyMedicare posters and brochures in your practice waiting room/reception and display MyMedicare Patient videos in your waiting room screens.
Post information about MyMedicare in your practice social media page using Social Media Tiles.



                            

 

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Chronic Disease Management - Activity 1: New Year CDM Resolutions

As the new year rolls around, many of your existing patients with chronic disease management plans will be due for a new chronic disease management plan and team care arrangements. Patients and practices often time chronic disease management plans with the start of the calendar year, when allied health items available through team care renew (items 10950 to 10970 and 81100 to 81125).

This presents your practice with an opportunity to reduce your future workload, and take essential small and easy steps toward preparing for Chronic Conditions Management (CCM) MBS item changes.

Two of the major changes signaled include MyMedicare Registration, and more regular reviews for patients with chronic conditions.

The following activities therefore focus firstly on strengthening patient-practice relationships by registering Chronic Disease Management Patients for MyMedicare, and routine scheduling of patients for Chronic Disease Management Reviews.

There are a range of ideas outlined below for you to use to tailor and modify to develop your own plan for change at your practice. We suggest you document your plan for each Activity Idea below using a Plan-Do-Study-Act Template. Ensure responsibility for each activity is allocated to a member of your practice team with a timeline for completion.


Activity Outcomes

  1. Register all returning Chronic Disease Management Patients for MyMedicare with your practice prior to, or at their next Chronic Disease Management appointment.
  2. Develop a process for booking future review appointments for any patient you put onto a Chronic Disease Management Plan.
  3. Develop a clear communication for why review appointments are important to attend for your practice team and patients (including if there are out of pocket costs for the patient).
  4. Develop a process to manage missed or cancelled patient review appointments.


Activity Ideas

1. Register all returning Chronic Disease Management Patients for MyMedicare with your practice prior to, or at their next Chronic Disease Management appointment.

Prompt your patients to register in advance of their appointments:
Send an SMS to all patients with a scheduled Chronic Disease Management Plan encouraging them to register with your General Practice before their appointment using Medicare Online or print and complete a MyMedicare Registration form to bring to their appointment, or
Invite patients to attend their appointment early to complete a MyMedicare Registration Form in the practice waiting room.
 
Encourage your patients to register at their next appointment:
Check each patients’ MyMedicare Registration status with your practice when they present for their appointment or the day before their appointment
Provide a MyMedicare Registration QR code or MyMedicare Registration form when patients present to the practice, and encourage them to complete their registration, or discuss registration as part of their Chronic Disease Management appointment
Have your practice nurse or Aboriginal Health Practitioner assist the patient with completing the registration for as part of their Chronic Disease appointment. This provides an opportunity for a conversation about expectations of an ongoing care relationship so that the practice can support the patient’s health journey in the long term.
 

2. Review and strengthen your process for booking review appointments for any patient you put onto a Chronic Conditions Management Plan, or with an existing Chronic Disease Management Plan.
 
Consider and develop a method for how your practice will approach scheduling review appointments. You may decide to adopt a standard 3-month review or 6-month review approach or require the clinical team to advise on the review timelines informed by their clinical judgement on a case-by-case basis.
Develop workflows for reception – to ensure that as the patient is handed over to reception before they leave your practice reception has an action to schedule their next appointment, understands the timeframe for review to inform scheduling, and communicates the appointment time and date clearly to the patient (SMS, or reminder card, or other)
Develop a process for appointment reminders in leadup to review appointments – frequency (e.g. 1 week and 24 hours) and modality (phone call or SMS) to ensure your attendance rates for review appointments remain high. Include message for patient to check Medicare Online to ensure they are registered for MyMedicare with your practice, document any questions to bring to the appointment.

 
3. Review and strengthen communication for why review appointments are important to attend for your practice team and patients (including if there are out of pocket costs for the patient).
 
Review your process and strengthen how you document priorities and actions due for the next review appointment in the patients’ medical record in your practice software as part of all Chronic Disease Management Plans and Reviews. For example, document any:            
  1. Outcomes, goals or targets the patient has for their review appointment
  2. Education or points of discussion planned for the review appointment
  3. Tests or pathology due that need to be scheduled
  4. Referrals that need to be completed
Communicate the importance of the review appointment with your patient and their carers (if appropriate) including:
  1. Emphasize the importance of the review plan focusing on actions for the patient and why the review is needed with your patient at the conclusion of the appointment
  2. Provide patient with a printed copy of the care plan and review appointment plan 
  3. Outline expectations and processes to re-schedule review appointment ahead of time
Develop messaging for patients about the benefits of proactive care, care when you are not acutely unwell, or keeping you well. Develop communications to support this in your practice, for example:
  1. Waiting room posters targeting CDM patients
  2. Talking points for the practice team to reinforce the importance of reviews and attending for care when patients are not acutely unwell.


4. Review and strengthen your process to manage missed or cancelled patient review appointments. Document the process for how to manage cancellations or missed review appointments. As part of this process consider:
 
How is the cancellation or non-attendance documented? For example, will your practice flag the patient, or retain a list of patients that need to be re-scheduled?
Who needs to be notified? (e.g. Nurse or Aboriginal Health Practitioner with responsibility for Chronic Disease coordination, and the patients usual GP)
What are the standing arrangements for re-scheduling CDM review appointments? For example, does your practice aim to re-schedule within 2 weeks of the cancellation or follow up non-attendance with a phone call to reschedule as a standard operating procedure?
Are there any data searches that need to be completed at regular intervals to identify any patients that may have missed their appointment but not been re-scheduled? For example, you could run a report from your clinical practice software for patients that have not had a review in more than 6 months and provide this list to a Nurse or Aboriginal Health Practitioner with responsibility for Chronic Disease coordination for review and action to check for any patients that have missed their scheduled review.
 
For further information and support with QI activities and MyMedicare registrations contact the Practice Assist Help Desk on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478) or 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au.

 

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Spotlight on: Workforce Incentive Program - Practice Stream (WIP-PS)

Practice owners and managers - have you been thinking about expanding your non-medical practice team?

Did you know that the Department of Health and Aged Care provide financial incentives to help general practices with the cost of engaging nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners?

The WIP-PS aims to assist practices to meet the increasingly complex health needs of their patients, encouraging multidisciplinary and team-based models of care and strengthening existing services. WIP-PS payments assist general practices with the cost of engaging eligible health professionals. They are not intended to cover the whole cost of engaging eligible health professionals.

A practice may be eligible to receive incentive payments of up to $130,000 per year (before applying any applicable rural loading).  Services Australia administers the WIP-PS.  The amount paid to each eligible general practice is calculated on several factors which are outlined in Practice Stream incentive payments .

The eligibility for general practices to receive the WIP-PS payments, as well as reporting requirements are explained in the Workforce Incentive Program Practice Stream Guidelines .



The following resources are available on the Department of Health and Aged Care or Services Australia websites for further information:  


Want to know about other WA general practices experiences of implementing multidisciplinary care? 

Watch the interview below with Pramana Medical Centre’s Dr Priya Krishnan and Kate Fulford.
WAPHA | Multidisciplinary care transforming patient outcomes

Read the GP Connect case study by Dr Neda Meshgin and GP Pharmacist Dr Kenny Lee, Canning Vale Medical Centre
WAPHA | Teamwork in general practice: Using team based, continuous quality improvement activities to improve clinical outcomes



New WIP-PS resource for participating practices

A new WIP - PS resource is available to assist general practices and Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations to meet their reporting requirements under the WIP-PS program.
The Department of Health and Aged Care (department) has developed this resource to remind program recipients of the expectations when confirming WIP-PS Quarterly Confirmation Statement content,
and to support practices receive the highest level of the WIP-PS payment they are eligible for.
 
The resource can be found here: Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream reporting fact sheet | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
 
The WIP-PS webpage provides additional information on the WIP-PS program including the WIP-PS Guidelines, FAQs and Fact Sheets.
 
Look out for our Spotlight on: General practice accreditation in the next edition of Practice Connect.

For further information and support contact the Practice Assist Help Desk or get in contact with your Primary Care Navigator and QI Coach on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478) or 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au.
 

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Reminder to Rural Generalists and primary care doctors with advanced skills to apply for the Workforce Incentives Program (WIP) - Rural Advanced Skills

You can apply for the WIP-Rural Advanced Skills payments up to three times between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025. You can apply up to 3 times anytime before 30 March 2026 for services provided since 1 January 2023.

Doctors providing primary care and emergency and/or advanced skills in Modified Monash (MM) 3-7 locations can claim up to $21,000 each year.

If you are a doctor that received a WIP-Rural Advanced Skill payment for services provided in 2023, you can apply again for a second payment for services provided in 2024. You can apply as soon as you have completed the service levels required for the maximum payment in the twelve month period.

For more information regarding your eligibility, please refer to the WIP - Rural Advanced Skills Guidelines on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

For information regarding Australian Government funded incentives and supports that are available to doctors practicing in MM3-7 locations, please refer to the relevant Fact Sheets on Incentives and support for GPs and general practices in Modified Monash locations 1-7.

 

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2025 Practice Assist Yearly Planner



To get you started for 2025, the Primary Care Navigator team have created a General Practice 2025 Year Planner that has been created as a fillable PDF that allows you to customise it to your practice needs.

The General Practice 2025 Year Planner includes important dates to remind you of just some of the following:

  • PIP & WIP quarters
  • Shared Health Summary Uploads
  • Events & Training
  • Practice Connect newsletter publication dates
  • Other consideration for your practice

The General Practice 2025 Year Planner has recently been updated to include upcoming live demonstrations for Clinician Assist WA events throughout 2025.

Learn more about the Clinician Assist WA live demonstrations in our events section of this newsletter.
 

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MumMoodBooster - Supporting Perinatal Mental Health

Health professionals can easily refer patients experiencing perinatal depression or anxiety to the highly effective MumMoodBooster and Mum2BMoodBooster programs via a secure Clinician Portal. These free, evidence-based e-treatments help women experiencing depression during pregnancy or after the birth of their baby, providing personalised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) sessions.

By registering for the portal, clinicians can access unique referral codes, additional screening tools, and regular summary reports to monitor their patients’ progress and mood.

These programs can be used independently or alongside in-person care, ensuring flexible and comprehensive support for women across Australia.


 

Why MumMoodBooster Programs

  • Proven Evidence-Based Programs: Designed and validated by the Parent-Infant Research Institute, the programs are Australia’s leading e-treatments for perinatal depression and accredited under the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards.
  • Effective Treatment: Proven to rapidly reduce symptoms, with 80% of participants no longer clinically depressed after completion.
  • High Engagement Rates: The highest completion rate of any perinatal depression program, with over 95% of sessions completed.
  • Comprehensive Features:
    • Six personalised online CBT sessions with instant access
    • Alerts for concerning symptoms, such as suicidal ideation
    • Partner support and access to a robust online resource library
    • Regular clinician summary reports at 1, 4, and 8 weeks
  • Flexible and Private: Suitable for women in remote areas or those with limited access to face-to-face services, ensuring complete privacy.
Supported by the Australian Government, these programs are free to access and proven in clinical trials in both Australia and the US.
 

Learn More and Get Started

Visit MumSpace for more details and to start referring today.
 

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Diabetes Management during Ramadan

The Islamic month of Ramadan is expected to take place from the evening of Friday 28 February to Sunday 30 March 2025 (dates may vary slightly).

During this time many Muslim people abstain from eating, drinking and taking medication from sunrise to sunset.
 
Although some people with diabetes will choose not to fast, those who choose to fast may be at risk of unstable glycaemic control and hypoglycaemia.

Most people with type 2 diabetes can fast safely with appropriate medical advice and management before and during fasting.

However, people with type 1 diabetes need special attention. Pregnant women with diabetes are advised not to fast.
 
RACGP and Diabetes Australia have informative resources advising GP’s and patients on how to discuss and manage their patients with Diabetes safely during their fast.

  • RACGP Resource available here
  • Diabetes Resources  available here

 

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Maternal RSV Program



From 3 February 2025, the NIP will provide a free RSV vaccine (Abrsyvo) to eligible women at 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy.

As we know, RSV is a highly infectious virus that is the most common cause of respiratory infections in children, with almost all children being infected at least once in their first 2 years of life.
 
RSV vaccination is particularly important in pregnancy. Research shows that maternal vaccination reduces the risk of severe RSV illness in infants under 6 months of age by around 70%.

States and territories will offer an RSV immunisation product to eligible infants and children in the coming months.
 
The maternal RSV vaccine can be co-administered (given on the same day) with whooping cough and influenza vaccines.
 
To prepare for the NIP maternal RSV vaccine program commencement, we suggest:

  • Order the RSV maternal vaccine, Abrysvo®, through Onelink as per normal.
  • Promote the free vaccine to eligible pregnant women, emphasising your recommendation as a trusted health professional.
  • Consider opportunities to co-administer the RSV vaccine with the recommended whooping cough and influenza vaccines where appropriate.
  • Ensure vaccine safety by verifying you are correctly administering the Abrysvo® RSV vaccine to your patient.
  • Report all RSV and NIP vaccines you administer to the Australian Immunisation Register.

Further information and the following resources will be available on the Department of Health and Aged Care immunisation website from the program commencement.

 

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Australian RSV immunisation update - new funded programs for infant protection

Presented by NCIRS
Thursday 6 February 2025 (9:00am to 10:30am AWST)

From early 2025, infants across Australia will benefit from new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protection programs, including a nationally-funded vaccination program for pregnant women and state and territory funded long-acting monoclonal antibody programs for infants.
 
This National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance(NCIRS) webinar will explore RSV disease and prevention and expand on the new funded RSV programs.

The panel of leading experts will present on:

  • RSV disease in infants and young children
  • effectiveness and safety of RSV vaccination and the long-acting monoclonal antibody
  • the new NIP-funded RSV vaccination program for pregnant women to protect their infants
  • complementary state and territory funded RSV long-acting monoclonal antibody programs
  • RSV prevention program resources to support healthcare providers.

To register and for more information, click here.
 

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Starting School - Immunisations



Upon enrolling children in school, parents would have been required to show a copy of the child’s immunisation status.

Western Australia has  “No jab, No Play” legislation.
 
A child’s current Australian Immunisation Record (AIR) immunisation history statement can be accessed at any time by the parent/guardian through:

  • MyGov, by logging in to their Medicare online account
  • Medicare Express Plus App, by logging into their Medicare account
  • Visiting a Medicare or Centrelink office
  • Calling the AIR General Enquiries Line on 1800 653 809 to request a copy to be posted, or
  • Practice Nurse or GP can download and print directly from AIR using their PRODA account.
Individuals that are not registered with Medicare can and should still have an AIR record.

An immunisation provider is able to register a child on AIR, as well as commence a child on a catch-up schedule for any missing vaccinations.

If parents/guardians have had their child fully vaccinated but the child’s AIR immunisation history statement is not up-to-date, they are advised to contact their immunisation provider and ask them to update the information on the AIR.
 
The Western Australian Immunisation Requirements guide is here.

 

What is due at 4 years old?

Some parents will also have forgotten that there are vaccinations due under the National Immunisation Program when a child turns 4 years of age.

These vaccines include: 
  • Dtpa-IPV (currently Quadracel or Infanrix IPV)
  • For Aboriginal children there is a 2nd dose of Hepatitis A due (Vaqta Paed/Adolescent) and also a Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax 23)
  • The Pneumococcal vaccine is also advised for Medically at risk children

For an up to date immunisation schedule click here.
 

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Legislative requirements to enter the AIR

Immunisation providers should report to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) all vaccines they give to their patients at the time of vaccination. They should also record those given overseas onto AIR if they have access to appropriate documentation.
 
It is important that information on the AIR is accurate and up to date so that:

  • individuals have a complete immunisation history
  • families can receive their appropriate childcare and Family Tax Benefit (FTB) payments on time
  • children can enrol in school
  • the AIR can inform public health management and research of vaccine-preventable diseases.

If your practice software does not automatically report vaccinations to the AIR, you will need to report these vaccinations directly using the AIR website. Information about sending or receiving immunisation data from the AIR is available here or you can contact the immunisation team via Practice Assist on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478) or 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au.

 

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Shield your patients from Shingles



One in three people will get shingles in their lifetime, and the symptoms can be debilitating.   

Older people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of developing complications from shingles. 
 
A two-dose course of the shingles vaccine Shingrix® is free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for : 

  • people aged 65 and over  
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and over and  
  • people aged 18 and over with eligible medical conditions. 

It’s important to remind patients that vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect against shingles and its complications.  

Shingrix® vaccines are available to order through your usual vaccine ordering channels. 
 
You can find clinical advice, a podcast, videos, fact sheet and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific resources here

 

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New National Lung Cancer Screening Program commencing in July 2025



The Australian Government is implementing a National Lung Cancer Screening program in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, (NACCHO).  
 
The program will offer eligible people aged between 50 and 70, a free low-dose CT scan, with a referral from their general practitioner.   
 
Eligible people must have no signs or symptoms suggestive of lung cancer. Eligibility will also depend on smoking history.  
 
Primary care, in particular general practitioners, will play a key role in the program.

We encourage practices to prepare now so they are ready to promote the program with eligible participants and make referrals from July 2025. 
 
Here are 3 things that you can do now:  

  1. Review information about the National Lung Cancer Screening Program
  2. Register with the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR)
  3. Consider which of your patients may be eligible

 

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How to spot a skin cancer



With all this sun and heat we have been having recently, it is timely to remind patients on spotting skin cancers.
 
Did you know that when found early, there is a 95% chance of successful treatment for skin cancer?

Patients should be advised to be familiar with their skin and and to look out for new spots, or spots that are changing in size, shape or colour.  Also look out for non-healing sores.

These are some changes to look out for when checking your skin for signs of any cancer:

  • New moles
  • Moles that increase in size
  • An outline of a mole that becomes notched
  • A spot that changes colour from brown to black or is varied
  • A spot that becomes raised or develops a lump within it
  • The surface of a mole becoming rough, scaly or ulcerated
  • Moles that itch or tingle
  • Moles that bleed or weep
  • Spots that look different from the others

Advise your patients to note any changes and to make an appointment with the GP for a review as soon as possible.

Further information here.

 

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National Cervical Screening Program Education

In alignment with the updates to the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) Guidelines new education modules have been released by the Australian Centre for Prevention of Cervical Cancer.

NCSP Training Modules (live on 13 Jan on the ACPCC website):

Additionally the RACGP will be having educational Webinars: 
 

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Onboarding and Offboarding for the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program

From 2 January 2025, the Department of Health and Aged Care Vaccination Operation Centre (VOC) will be the main point of contact for matters relating to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program (NCVP) for primary care providers.

PHNs, including WA Primary Health Alliance, will no longer have responsibility for provider onboarding, offboarding and dealing with queries regarding the NCVP. This change is part of the planned transition of COVID-19 activities to align with other Australian Government funded vaccine programs.
 
New sites wishing to onboard onto the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program (NCVP) will now need to contact VOC directly to register their expression of interest.
 
Existing sites wishing to offboard will also be required to contact VOC directly to finalise their participation in the Program.
 
Queries related to the NCVP should also be directed to VOC from this date.
 
Any new, recommencing or offboarding sites should contact VOC at COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@health.gov.au or by telephone at 1800 318 208.
 

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COVID-19 Vaccine Update: JN.1 Vaccines now available

The COVID-19 JN.1 vaccines were included in the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program from 9 December 2024.
 
The vaccine comes in a range of presentations such as single-dose, multi-dose and pre-filled syringe (PFS), dependent on the vaccine type.
 
Please check out the last Provider Bulletin (10DEC24) for more information regarding the JN.1 vaccines.

 

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Virtual Care in General Practice

Video consultations provide many benefits for general practices, such as enhancing accessibility to care for patients and reducing transportation barriers for patients and GPs. Implementing video consultations at a practice can create a more connected and responsive healthcare environment while preserving the standard of care provided during face-to-face consultations.

Dr Amanda Villis shares her insights of using telehealth in general practice in a recent webinar. Dr Villis discusses key benefits of video consultations, why they are preferred over phone telehealth and provides some advice on how GPs can integrate video consultations into their practice day.

You can view this webinar here: GP Telehealth Webinar | WA Primary Health Alliance

For more information or support with video telehealth queries please contact the Practice Assist Help Desk on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478) or 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au.
 



 

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Nirsevimab in primary care: a research project by the WA Department of Health

The Western Australia Department of Health (DOH) is inviting GP practices to take part in an assessment of the effectiveness of our nirsevimab immunisation program in reducing GP attendances for acute respiratory infection (ARI) among infants this past winter.  

Hospitalisation data show that the impact of the program on severe RSV illness among children less than 12 months of age was profound, with more than 500 infant hospitalisations prevented.  While the effectiveness of nirsevimab in preventing hospitalisations is well established, little is known about its impact on primary care. WA is now ideally positioned to help address this gap in our knowledge.
 

What does participation in the WA RSV immunisation research involve?

With your practice’s consent, data will be extracted from your practice management software using the SmartVax tool. SmartVax staff will then send de-identified patient data to the WA Department of Health. 

Please click here for more information about the project.  
 
If your practice has further questions, please feel free to contact the WA DOH project lead, Dr Alison Brown at alison.brown3@health.wa.gov.au or 9222 2262, or Dr Paul Effler at 9222 2131. 
 

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Register now for a Clinician Assist WA live demonstration

Presented by Clinician Assist WA
Multiple Times & Dates



Clinician Assist WA is a secure website providing GPs and other health professionals with guidance for assessing, managing and referring patients across Western Australia. It has replaced HealthPathways WA, offering the same trusted local guidance, features and functionality and remains available at no cost.

The Clinician Assist WA team will run online demonstrations facilitated by a GP Clinical Editor throughout 2025 to support users. These sessions will demonstrate how to maximise integration of Clinician Assist WA into your clinical practice. Learn key functionalities of the website and how to access condition specific tools and resources, Referral Access Criteria (RAC) (where available), GPbook Specialist Directory and visiting specialist rosters.

Sessions have been approved for 1 CPD Educational Hour with RACGP and will be held online on the following dates:

Demonstrations are open to general practitioners, general practice staff and other health professionals registered to practice in WA.

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Paid GP online training: IAR-DST to guide mental health referrals – January, February and March training dates

Presented by WA Primary Health Alliance
Multiple Dates & Times

WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) is providing GPs in WA with paid online Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) training, designed to help practitioners and clinicians recommend the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health support.
 
GPs and GP registrars who attend the two workshops will be remunerated $300 and CPD hours are available.
 
For the latest IAR-DST training dates and registration links, visit the WAPHA IAR-DST webpage.

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Clinical workshops for GPs in your area



The GP Management of Patient Depression and Suicidality course, developed by Rural Clinical School of WA general practitioners, in collaboration with Psychiatrist Dr Mat Coleman, is designed to enhance the skills of GP’s in treating depression and suicidality.
 
The program is made up of two modalities:

Part 1: Online Module - (approx. 90mins to complete all modules)

  • Recognition and Assessment of Depression
  • Interventions
  • Suicidality, suicide risk assessment and prevention
  • Groups requiring special consideration
  • GP Wellbeing and supports
  • Practice Resources, Clinical Practice Guidelines & local resources

Part 2: Face-to-Face Workshop - (approx. 90 mins with a light meal included)

Collaborative conversations, including sharing of clinical experiences, complex scenario analyses, debriefing and learning from adverse outcomes. Facilitated by a GP and supported by a local psychiatrist.

Both online module and workshop are CPD accredited.

Location and dates for each workshop will be displayed when you choose your preference within the registration form. Please note, if you are a rural GP and unable to attend your local workshop, you are welcome to register for a metro workshop. View the GP Management of Patient Depression and Suicidality page for more information.

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Exploring VAD in practice - Health Professional Forum

Presented by South Metropolitan Health Service & WA Voluntary Assisted Dying Statewide Navigator Service
Friday 7 March 2025 (9.00am to 5.00pm The Hub, Bentley Technology Park, Bentley)



Join South Metropolitan Health Service and the WA Voluntary Assisted Dying Statewide Care Navigator Service for a day of shared learning, insights and updates in Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) relevant to health professionals caring for people exploring and accessing VAD in diverse settings.

This free event is catered and suitable for all health professionals, including:

  • medical practitioners
  • nurse practitioners
  • nurses
  • social workers
  • those supporting people at the end of their lives.
Register now

More information

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WA Rural Health Conference 2025 - Registrations now open!

Presented by Rural Health West
22 & 23 March 2025

Mark your calendars for the WA Rural Health Conference, Pan Pacific Perth on Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 March 2025. Early bird registrations are now open!  

This year’s theme, “Strengthening rural WA: One connection at a time,” brings together a diverse range of rural health professionals including:

  • Aboriginal health workers and practitioners
  • Allied health workers
  • GPs, medical practitioners, and medical officers
  • Health administrators
  • Health organisations and stakeholders
  • Health and medical students
  • Medical registrars
  • Nurses and midwives

The preliminary program is now available, which includes sessions that focus on collaboration, connection, and community impact.
For full details and to take advantage of early bird rates, please visit www.waruralhealthconference.com.au

For any inquiries, please contact the Events Team at warhc@ruralhealthwest.com.au or call 08 6389 4500.



 

Other Webinars, Events & Workshops

BreastScreen WA visit to Pingelly
Presented by BreastScreen WA
28 January to 3 February
Making your medicines more affordable
Presented by Department of Health and Aged Care & Consumers Health Forum of Australia
29 January
BreastScreen WA visit to Margaret River
Presented by BreastScreen WA
29 January to 29 April
Using online tools to support youth mental health
Presented by Black Dog Institute
30 January
BreastScreen WA visit to Pemberton
Presented by BreastScreen WA
3 February to 17 February
Integrating Digital Resources into Mental Health Care
Presented by Black Dog Institute
5 February
BreastScreen WA visit to Boddington
Presented by BreastScreen WA
4 February to 12 February
BreastScreen WA visit to Esperance
Presented by BreastScreen WA
14 February to 17 March
BreastScreen WA visit to Fremantle
Presented by BreastScreen WA
17 February to 26 February
BreastScreen WA visit to Busselton
Presented by BreastScreen WA
18 February to 11 July
BreastScreen WA visit to Gingin
Presented by BreastScreen WA
24 February to 12 March
BreastScreen WA visit to Booragoon
Presented by BreastScreen WA
27 February to 31 March
Course in Ear Wax Removal
Presented by Benchmarque Group
12 March 2025
Save the date: WA Rural Health Conference 2025
Presented by Rural Health West
22 March to 23 March 2025


 

Acknowledgement 
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.

 

Practice Assist 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.

Disclaimer
While the Australian Government Department of Health has contributed to the funding of this website, the information on this website does not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government and is not advice that is provided, or information that is endorsed, by the Australian Government. The Australian Government is not responsible in negligence or otherwise for any injury, loss or damage however arising from the use of or reliance on the information provided on this website.