Issue 214 - 20 February 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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In preparation for the Chronic Conditions Management (CCM) MBS item changes recommended by the MBS Review Taskforce, WA Primary Health Alliance invites your general practice to participate in our CCM Activation Series. Join us on a journey of small, manageable changes that aim to maximise the benefits of MyMedicare for your practice and your patients, strengthening the relationships that patients have with your practice and care providers. If you missed Activity 1, the aim of this activity was to engage patients returning to your practice for chronic disease management plans and team care arrangements in MyMedicare, and regular reviews in the future. You can access this activity here. Activity 2 aims to raise awareness among your practice team of MyMedicare and the CCM changes, while supporting your team members to explore and document their roles for both MyMedicare and CCM. Stay tuned for Activity 3 in an upcoming edition of Practice Connect, which will focus on MyMedicare patient engagement and registration, aiming to raise patient awareness and help your practice identify what MyMedicare means for your practice team and patient care, so you can communicate this to patients. If you would like support from our team to implement any of the activities, call the Practice Assist help desk on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au
This activity aims to raise awareness among your practice team of MyMedicare and the Chronic Conditions Management (CCM) changes, while supporting your team to explore their roles in both MyMedicare and CCM. By exploring and defining these roles, your practice team can work collaboratively to prepare for change and develop the processes, systems and skills needed to succeed. This approach will help ease your team through change and provide a shared document to help improve and empower each team member in their own role. There are a range of ideas outlined below for you to tailor and modify to develop your own plan for change at your practice. We recommend that you document your plan using a Plan-Do-Study-Act template.
2. Explore the benefits of MyMedicare with your practice team:
a. Share the MyMedicare Talking Points for General Practice resource with your practice team. If you plan to discuss these in an open forum, you may want to share these in advance and pose some general questions such as:
b. The MyMedicare GP Toolkit provides a summary of the current benefits of MyMedicare for general practices. It also includes a range of helpful resources that your practice can use to communicate with patients.
3. Explore Chronic Conditions Management Changes with your practice team:
a. Share the CCM MBS Items Summary of Changes resource with your practice team. You may want to have a team discussion and pose some open questions such as:
b. For more information, visit the links below:
4. Explore and document team roles and responsibilities related to MyMedicare and CCM:
a. Share the Practice Roles and Responsibilities for MyMedicare and CCM resource and the blank template with your team to help you get started. b. Explore roles and responsibilities with the practice team in a meeting or quick lunchtime discussions. b. Document agreed roles and responsibilities and communicate this with your team. d. Discuss and document how each team member will incorporate their responsibilities into their workday and work week. d. Schedule a time to review your documented roles and responsibilities:
For further information and support with QI activities and MyMedicare registrations, call the Practice Assist help desk on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au
Did you know that the RACGP definition of general practice (for purposes of accreditation) was recently amended? If your practice was previously ineligible for accreditation, or is not a ‘traditional’ general practice, it may now be eligible under the new definition. So why should your practice seek accreditation?
The National General Practice Accreditation (NGPA) scheme supports the accreditation of Australian general practices to the RACGP Standards for general practices and the RACGP Standards for point of care testing. General practices who wish to gain formal accreditation can do so via an independent accreditation agency. Further information about these agencies can be found at Approved accrediting agencies under the NGPA Scheme. To assist you in determining whether your practice is now eligible to become accredited under the new definition, the RACGP has released an interpretive guide which outlines the application of the Standards to non-traditional general practices. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has comprehensive information for general practices interested in seeking accreditation. If you are interested in learning more about general practice accreditation and how WA Primary Health Alliance can support you in the accreditation journey, 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.
New online training, available through WA Primary Health Alliance’s SHAPE website, equips health care professionals with the skills and knowledge to create a supportive and culturally safe environment for Aboriginal people to discuss weight-related health concerns. The Aboriginal Weight Management eLearning modules promote culturally safe practices by fostering understanding of Aboriginal community values, social determinants of health, and the impact of weight stigma. These eLearning modules are approved by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners for 8.5 hours of educational activities and 2 hours of performance review. Find out more
WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington, will step down from her role in early April this year to commence a well-deserved transition to retirement. WAPHA Board Chair, Dr Richard Choong, said Learne has been a highly effective CEO, successfully stewarding the organisation through its establishment in 2015, several significant strategic and structural reviews, reform of the organisation’s governance and the pandemic. Read more
In response to several further queries that have arisen around the Central Referral Service (CRS) referral processing delays, the CRS team at the WA Department of Health have prepared this update to assist in clarifying the CRS and public outpatient referral process. Please see information here for clarification of public outpatient referral processing at the CRS including which referrals should and should not be sent to the CRS, and what happens to a referral once it has been allocated to the public hospital system.
The new Understanding Medicare: Provider Handbook is designed to help health care professionals build a solid fundamental knowledge of Medicare functions and principles. The handbook is a plain English resource that introduces the basic concepts of the Medicare program and aims to:
For further information, download the Understanding Medicare: Provider Handbook.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has released a new two-page printable quick guide to assist you in knowing what mental health support services may be available for your eligible veteran and their family.
This new guide provides a descriptive list of the mental health programs and services funded for DVA clients and the associated eligibility and referral requirements.
They have a number of additional handy guides and tools available on the DVA website to assist providers to support the veteran community. These provide the basics on veteran needs, what they offer, services that can be provided and more. Check out their quick guides and tools.
DVA thanks the health provider community for the work that they do with veterans and their families.
Under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015, it is mandatory for all vaccination providers to report the administration of COVID-19, influenza, NIP and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines to the AIR. Legislative changes mean that from 1 March 2025, it will be mandatory for all vaccination providers to report to the AIR information about whether an individual was pregnant at the time of vaccine administration. The collection of antenatal data is important as it ensures that the AIR contains a complete and reliable dataset to enable the monitoring:
The live attenuated herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine Zostavax is no longer available in Australia – and the Australian Immunisation Handbook zoster (herpes zoster) chapter has now been updated to reflect this change. The NCIRS’ shingles FAQs resource was also revised this week to reflect and support the amended chapter. Shingrix, which replaced Zostavax on the NIP on 1 November 2023, is an adjuvanted recombinant varicella-zoster virus (non-live) vaccine given in a 2-dose schedule (2–6 months apart in immunocompetent people and 1–2 months apart in people with immunocompromise). Shingrix is registered and recommended for use in people aged 50 years and over and immunocompromised people aged 18 years and over. Under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), it is available free of charge for people aged 65 years and over, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over, and immunocompromised people aged 18 years and over with certain medical conditions. To access the fact sheet, click here.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has updated its maternal vaccinations consumer brochure with information about the maternal RSV vaccine Abrysvo, following the following the recent launch of the RSV-Maternal and Infant Immunisation Program. The brochure covers recommended maternal vaccinations that are available free for pregnant women under the National Immunisation Program including pertussis, influenza and, now, RSV – and gives information on vaccine safety and common side effects. Hard copies of the resource can be ordered via the link.
The WA Department of Health’s Immunisation Program hosted the 2025 RSV Infant and Maternal Immunisation Program information session held on 23 January 2025, covering the following topics:
A recording of the event, as well as the presentation slides, are now available at Immunisation education under the Immunisation Education Update Sessions tab. Alternatively, the RSV session and presentation slides can also be viewed at 2025 WA Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infant and Maternal Immunisation Program under the Clinical Guidance and Education tab. The recording from the 2024 Public Health Update is also now available, along with the presentation slides at Immunisation education under the Immunisation Education Update Sessions tab.
Following on from NCIRS’ recent well-attended webinar on the status of RSV and its prevention in 2025 – as well as the rollout of the RSV-MIPP – NCIRS has released a suite of new and updated RSV resources for immunisation providers and the general public. Developed by NCIRS technical experts, the resources cover topics including vaccine recommendations for pregnant women, what to do in the case of an RSV product administration error and state and territory-funded nirsevimab for infants programs [PDF]. Recordings of presentations at the recent webinar are also available. The resource collection – which includes NCIRS’ perennially popular RSV FAQs – is hosted on NCIRS’ RSV landing page (accessible below) and will be updated as needed over time. Access the full suite of resources here.
BreastScreen Australia has launched the “Screen with your sistas” campaign targeted at increasing the screening rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. In consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women across the country a range of culturally sensitive, purposeful and meaningful resources have been created. You can find out more about the BreastScreen Australia program and view the resources at Screen with your sistas.
Cancer Council WA is offering short supervised clinical attachments in 2025, providing GPs with a unique opportunity to observe and learn from oncology sub-specialists and multidisciplinary teams in the tertiary health care setting. Available placements include two half-day clinics at Fiona Stanley Hospital focusing on Head and Neck Cancer, and two full-day clinics at Perth Children’s Hospital for Paediatric Oncology Survivorship. These placements offer opportunities to attend clinics and network with specialists. Travel and accommodation reimbursement grants are available. For more information or to secure your placement, contact the Cancer Education team at GP@cancerwa.asn.au or call 08 9388 4313.
The WA Department of Health is planning to decommission the suite of COVID-19 resources on 1 March 2025. These resources were developed at a time during the pandemic when there was little information available to guide health professionals with these new and emerging therapies, that were originally in limited supply. There is now a significant amount of information available to clinicians including links to the Australian Government Department of Health clinical resources, and the extensive COVID-19 resources provided by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Resources can also be found on the COVID-19 page on the Practice Assist website.
The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) offers a comprehensive online course to equip medical practitioners with best-practice telehealth consultation skills. Program Overview:
More Information and Registration
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.
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.
The University of Western Australia invite doctors and nurses to participate in ADAPT Australia, an educational event designed to enhance your knowledge and confidence in drug allergy and penicillin allergy testing. There is no prior experience of allergy testing necessary. This event is part of a research trial aimed at assessing the validity and effectiveness of the educational materials provided. Key Details:
Developed by the Rural Clinical School of WA GPs in collaboration with Psychiatrist, Dr Mat Coleman, this training program is made up of two, CPD accredited modalities:
GPs can choose to do either Part 1 or Part 2 or both. It is recommended GPs complete the online modules prior to attending a case study discussion but it is not mandatory. View the list of case study discussions currently scheduled throughout the Perth metropolitan area in February – March 2025 or register for online and case study discussions here. Location and dates for each workshop will be displayed when you choose your preference within the registration form. Online modules can be completed at any time.
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:
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:
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.
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.