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Dr Eleanor Chew explains the changes to MBS explanatory notes for diagnostic imaging, including benefits for patients and practitioners. Changes and their purpose The changes have been made to explanatory note IN.0.1 in Category 5 of the MBS and includes detail regarding what is required from a requestor in making a diagnostic imaging request:
These changes have been implemented to support better requesting. Greater clarity of what is expected when making a request for a diagnostic imaging service may serve to increase clinician awareness of high-value tests, minimise radiation exposure, and promote greater recognition of item descriptor inclusions and exclusions. What GPs need to know GPs are frequent requestors of diagnostic imaging services, but may not be aware of the change. The change makes it clear that the onus is on the requestor (GP) to provide sufficient clinical detail and a clinical justification for each examination, while the onus is on the provider (radiologist) to determine the justification for medical radiation exposure. It is important to remember that this responsibility is not optional. The legislation states that a request must contain sufficient clinical information to assist the service provider to accurately provide the diagnostic imaging service and, where the requested service involves ionising radiation such as X-ray or computerised tomography (CT), make a decision whether to expose the patient to this radiation. Visit the RACGP website to read the full story
With flu season approaching, driving both an increased demand for healthcare services and the potential for staff absences, it is an appropriate time to highlight the importance of having your practice’s emergency response plan established and tested. Indicator C3.3A describes the need for practices to have “an emergency response plan for unexpected events, such as natural disasters, pandemic diseases, or unplanned absences of clinical team members”. To enable your practice to continue functioning in the event of an emergency, it is vital that you have in place a meaningful plan that would guide your business functions if normal operations were suddenly disrupted. Your plan should consider the various risks that are relevant to your practice. While broad risk categories, such as natural disasters or pandemics are common to all practices, your practice location or type may place it at a higher risk of certain events. Your emergency response plan should start with the identification of risks for your practice, upon which you can then build the strategies that your practice will implement to anticipate and manage those risks, and continue to function in the event of a disaster. The model primarily used by Australian emergency management agencies is known as PPRR, which stands for preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery. Use of this model can assist your practice to establish a quality cycle that prepares you to respond to emergencies of all kinds. In planning for pandemics, remember that pandemics don’t just affect patients, but also affect staff, as the same influenza, for example, that brings more patients to your practice may also increase the likelihood of your staff being absent. The RACGP has a Pandemic Flu Kit that practices can use to help them prepare for influenza. This kit explains the PPRR model in further detail and includes a comprehensive sample implementation guide. Remember that, to verify the efficacy of your plan, testing and review is as important as planning. As you should have staff assigned to certain roles and responsibilities, you will need to ensure that they know what roles they play (including handover processes), and that new staff are appropriately inducted, particularly if they are expected to play a key role in managing an emergency. To assist practices, Healthpoint and the RACGP developed the Emergency Response Planning Tool (ERPT), a cloud-based system that guides users through templates where practice-specific information can be added, resulting in a tailored, comprehensive and accessible response plan. Practices can also develop their own plans, and key components are outlined in the explanatory notes of Criterion C3.3. A tried and tested flood action plan from a NSW practice can be reviewed on the ACRRM website should you wish to see a sample of a self-developed emergency response plan. Furthermore, while your emergency response plan may include aspects of IT recovery, practices undergoing accreditation are required to have a separate business continuity plan (C6.4D), which should more specifically deal with IT failure, recovery and testing.
Useful links: RACGP Standards for general practices 5th ed Indicator C3.3A RACGP Emergency response planning tool RACGP Managing pandemic influenza in general practice ACRRM Natural disaster: readiness and recovery
The Federal Department of Health has updated the 24-hour movement guidelines for 5 to 17 year old’s. The Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Young People (5-17 years)provide recommendations on the recommended balance of physical activity, inactivity and sleep. The updated guidelines recommend the following:
The HealthPathways team have now localised 494 pathways. The most recently localised pathways include: Sexual Assault Specialist Advice Sexual Assault Specialist Assessment
Diabetes WA are hosting 2-3 hour topic-specific workshops and are recommended to patients after having attended the fundamental full day workshop 'DESMOND' (for people living with type 2 diabetes). The workshops are not only available in Perth. In May, there will be four sessions in regional areas:
Find referral forms here: You can also book in your patients directly, using the online booking form
WAPHA is working with Hammond Care to provide advance care planning training for GPs, practice nurses and practice managers. The Advance Project is a practical, evidence-based toolkit and a training package, specifically designed to support general practices to implement a team-based approach to initiating advance care planning and palliative care into everyday clinical practice. WAPHA are seeking expressions of interest from practices across WA to participate in a half-day workshop and evaluation. We will be seeking to engage four champion practices across WA to participate in this project. To be a champion practice we are asking practices to:
If you would like more information please visit: www.theadvanceproject.com.au or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au
GPs who find it difficult to schedule an in-practice NPS MedicineWise educational visit can still benefit from the educational visiting program through the NPS MedicineWise virtual visiting service.
An NPS MedicineWise virtual visit is an accredited clinical education discussion for GPs, covering the latest prescribing evidence and delivered by video conference. Doctors can nominate their preferred videoconferencing technology and can book a session at a time convenient to them. A one-to-one virtual visit with a GP is free, evidence based, RACGP & ACRRM accredited and takes just 30 minutes. GPs and Practice Managers who would like to book an NPS virtual visit for the current topic Anxiety: rethinking the options, can book through the NPS MedicineWise website
The Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department is one of four pilot sites nationally for the My Health Record in ED project being run by the Australian Commission into Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency.
The project, which started on 22 April 2019, will explore what ED clinicians need to support their use of the system and how My Health Record information can be applied to clinical decision making.
As ED clinicians are expected to access the My Health Record more frequently, information uploaded by GPs to the My Health Record for patients living in the RPH catchment is more likely to be viewed, including event summaries and shared health summaries, especially on chronic and/or complex patients.
A security first culture can protect healthcare organisations - prevention is better than cure. Security in Healthcare 2019 will focus on the impact of security in the healthcare sector and will provide practical guidance on sound security practices for your workplace. A highlight of this event will be an address by the Chief Information Security Officer for the Australian Digital Health Agency, Tony Kitzelmann. With extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Tony’s expertise covers strategic leadership and delivery of corporate cyber security functions. Tony will deliver a topical presentation on security and privacy in the healthcare sector and share insights into the security of the My Health Record system. To register for the Perth event on Wednesday 12 June please register here (capacity is limited).
The Australian Digital Health Agency in collaboration with Allied Health Professions Australia have developed a series of five self-paced eLearning modules to support Allied Health professionals to become familiar with and confident in using the My Health Record system. The modules are now available and can be accessed on the My Health Record website Copy of presentation: My Health Record participation obligations webinar (held in April 2019) Visit to download presentation slides from this recent webinar which included content on:
Visit our Webinars & Workshops page at www.practiceassist.com.au for more events in your area.
MNDAWA is offering a free one-day workshop with speaker’s Dr Rob Edis, Neurologist, and Professor Samar Aoun, Palliative Care Researcher, on symptom management and psychosocial care. The workshop incorporates practical demonstrations on communication and respiratory assistance. Target Audience: Health care professionals and care providers who are working with MND patients Date: Wednesday 8 May 2019 Time: 8:30am – 5.30pm Venue: Frasers Kings Park Fee: AAPM Members $260 / Non Members $380 Register: https://bit.ly/2vwu1h5 CPD Points: This event attracts 30 CPD points for AAPM members
This interactive webinar about My Health Record will explain how accessing this system can increase your efficiency and help you provide improved patient care and care coordination. An opportunity for Q&A will also be provided. This webinar is targeted for Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, and Occupational Therapists to attend; however, all other allied health care providers are welcome. Presenter: Australian Digital Health Agency Date: Tuesday 14 May 2019 Time: 4 - 5pm Registrations close 24 hours prior to the event Registration link:
An Introduction to Project Air Strategy by Prof Brin Grenyer & Dr Ely Marceau. This activity has 4 Category 2 QI&CPD points through RACGP. Date: Thursday 16 May 2019 Time: 6pm Registration 6.30 – 8.30pm Venue: Fiona Stanley Hospital Register:
Presented by East Metropolitan Health Service in partnership with WA Primary Health Alliance and HealthPathways WA. Education sessions include:
Date: Saturday 18 May 2019 Time: 8am Registration 8:30am – 12.30pm Venue: Royal Perth Hospital Register: Registrations are essential. Please note priority will be given to GPs who practice in the East Metro catchment area. This activity has 8 Category 2 QI&CPD points through RACGP and 4 PDP points has been applied for through ACRRM.
Diabetes Telehealth Service hosts fortnightly interactive webinars about diabetes-related topics, presented by Diabetes WA and external experts.
To find out more and to register, please click here. Online bookings are essential. Places are limited and can fill fast. For more information contact Nyaree Lawler on (08) 9436 6278 or 1300 001 880.
This interactive webinar for all healthcare providers will provide you with the necessary tools and knowledge to register your practice and connect to the My Health Record. There will be an opportunity for Q&A. Please note, this is a live repeat of the previous webinars held in February 2019 Date: Tuesday 21 May 2019 Time: 12 – 1pm Presenter: Australian Digital Health Agency Registrations close 24 hours prior to the event Registration link:
This webinar will outline what is being introduced in the pathology sector in relation to the My Health Record system, including the uploading of reports, the consent framework and design. Also covered are the benefits for those working in the sector as well as current diagnostic connections. There will be opportunity for Q&A. Healthcare professionals working in the pathology sector as well as other healthcare providers with an interest in this area are welcome to attend. Date: Tuesday 21st May 2019 Time: 3 – 4pm Presenter: Australian Digital Health Agency Registrations close 24 hours prior to the event Registration link:
Date: Friday 7 June May 2019 Time: 8:30am – 5.30pm Venue: Frasers Kings Park Register: CPD Points: This event attracts 30 CPD points for AAPM members. These points will be automatically allocated to member profiles on completion and attendance at the event. Certificate of attendance will be emailed to all registered attendees.
Procedures are first covered by a didactic presentation followed by a practical cadaveric session with only two participants per station. Each participant will have access to a dedicated cadaveric upper limb and foot and will benefit from practising procedures in a supportive, authentic clinical environment Date: 25 July 2019 Venue: CTEC, Crawley Fee: $1400 WA GPs Register: www.ctec.uwa.edu.au Training Grants: The Australian Government is offering training grants of $2000 per day to rural and remote procedural and emergency medicine GPs to maintain their respective skills.
The workshop features rotating demonstration and ultrasound guided practical stations with four participants per group, utilising:
Date: Monday 2 September 2019 Venue: Perth Convention Centre How to submit abstract: healthpolicy@health.wa.gov.au
Date: 3 August 2019 Venue: CTEC, Crawley Fee: $800 WA GP, Registrar, Nurse Practitioner Register: www.ctec.uwa.edu.au Training Grants: The Australian Government is offering training grants of $2000 per day to rural and remote procedural and emergency medicine GPs to maintain their respective skills.
Target audience: Peritonectomy Surgeons, Colorectal Surgeons, Gynaecologic Oncologists, Medical Onoclogists, General Surgeons, General Practitioners, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals. This two-day conference features presentations from several world leaders in the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy and will provide updates on the current and emerging techniques/strategies for the management of these diseases throughout the world. Date: 23 and 24 November 2019 Venue: St George Hospital, Kogarah Fee: $53.84 - $212.09 Register:
You can also view all health promotion activities for the year by visiting Practice Assist’s health calendar: https://bit.ly/2Wdv8h8
Lung disease affects almost 1 in 3 Australians and is responsible for 1 in 7 deaths, however many people tend to ignore the signs and symptoms, often not doing anything about it for far too long.
Whilst many people may not think it, breathlessness is not a normal sign of ageing. Likewise, a persistent or changed cough shouldn’t be put down to the flu or a cold. These symptoms may seem mild but they could be a sign of lung disease, such as lung cancer or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). May marks Lung Health Awareness Month and Lung Foundation Australia is urging all Australians to know the symptoms of lung disease, plan a doctor’s visit and act today. It’s time Australians start thinking about their lung health in the same way they would their heart, skin and breast health. Most of us know the signs of a stroke or heart disease and we know the importance of self-checks for our breast and prostate health. When it comes to lung disease, getting an early diagnosis is critical to improving outcomes and saving lives. Don’t guess, know the symptoms. Take two minutes to check your lung health, and encourage your friends and family to do the same at KnowPlanAct.lungfoundation.com.au -
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
As one of the most trusted and respected health professions, nursing has a pivotal role to addressing the multiple health challenges that are being faced all over the world. Nurses are the engine room of the health system and are required to respond to the health needs of individuals, communities and the world.
The ICN Code of Ethics states that “Inherent in nursing is a respect for human rights, including cultural rights, the right to life and choice, to dignity and to be treated with respect. Nursing care is respectful of and unrestricted by considerations of age, colour, creed, culture, disability or illness, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, politics, race or social status. Nurses render health services to the individual, the family and the community and coordinate their services with those of related groups. The need for nursing is universal.” (International Council of Nurses, 2012).
On 29 May ‘Wear white at work’ and donate a gold coin to show support for mental illness sufferers and families of suicide victims. Each year we have to come to terms with the suicide of thousands of fellow Australians (men, women and children). For those left behind by these tragedies the hurt is unimaginable. The White Wreath Association provides 24-hour support for anyone who is in need, by providing advocacy, assistance and support to both families and individuals who have been affected by a mental illness or suicide. Together we can continue to provide families and individuals with the support and care that they need in order to reduce suicide rates in Australia.
To find out how you can get your workplace involved, you can call them on 1300 766 177.