Practice Connect #257

Practice Catalyst is an online tool designed to help general practices reflect on how they are operating, recognise their strengths and identify opportunities for improvement.

It is not an audit or compliance tool, rather it is a starting point for reflection, learning and action.

Designed for use by practice owners, principals or practice managers, this tool considers practice maturity over five domains:

• Practice foundations – operational sustainability and adaptability
• Practice management – governance, leadership and administrative efficiency
• Clinical operations – clinical workflows and quality improvement
• Patient care – patient-centred approaches, safety and accessibility
• Community connection – engagement with local health networks and population health initiatives.

After completing the self-assessment, you will receive an action plan customised to your practice. This provides practical resources to support opportunities for growth across the five domains.

Practice Catalyst was designed by Australian health care consultants, Rebbeck, and has been customised by WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) for local general practice use.

Completion of the Practice Catalyst tool is voluntary and is fully funded by WAPHA for general practices in WA.

Find out more about Practice Catalyst

To learn more about the tool, what it covers and how it can support your practice, read our Practice Catalyst guide and visit the WAPHA Practice Catalyst webpage.

Make sure your practice details are up to date

To ensure your Practice Catalyst link is sent to the correct email address, update your practice details.

Subject to the passage of legislation, the Medicare 3 Year Old Healthy Kids Check is planned to commence on 1 November 2026. The new service forms part of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s Thriving Kids initiative and aims to identify developmental needs earlier and connect children and families with appropriate support.

General practice will be an important and accessible point of care, supporting families through early assessment, advice, monitoring and referral where required.

What is changing?

From 1 November 2026, general practitioners (GPs) and prescribed medical practitioners will be able to use time-tiered health assessment items 701–707 and 224–227 to deliver the Medicare Healthy Kids Check. The service will be available once per eligible child in their lifetime.

The check will assess a child’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and development. It will help identify children who may benefit from:

• Monitoring or intervention in primary care
• Referral to appropriate services, including Thriving Kids supports
• Further assessment, when required

What can practices do now?

While further implementation details are expected, practices can begin preparing by:

• Reviewing recall and reminder systems
• Identifying children approaching their third birthday
• Planning how GPs and practice nurses will work together
• Briefing the practice team about the new check
• Monitoring MBS Online for final implementation guidance

Early preparation will help practices support families to access the right care at the right time.

Resources

• MBS Online Medicare Healthy Kids Check fact sheet: MBS Online Medicare Healthy Kids Check
• Australian Journal of General Practice: A guide to the 3-year-old health check for general practice

Further support

For support, contact Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing “MyMedicare Minute” series provides bite-sized information to help general practice staff build their understanding of key MyMedicare updates.

Set up and amend Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program details correctly to avoid payment issues

Practices can resolve most MyMedicare, Organisation Register, Provider Digital Access and  issues through self-service using the dedicated Health Professional Education (HPE) resources available from Services Australia.

Read the MyMedicare Minute edition for more details.

Recent changes to the My Health Record Rules reinforce the importance of privacy, security, access management, and staff training for participating health care organisations. These updates are an opportunity for practices to review their processes and ensure they continue to meet their participation obligations.

Are you aware of your My Health Record participation obligations and the recent changes?

Providing your practice access to My Health Record comes with a number of obligations. These can be viewed at My Health Record participation obligations. The My Health Records Rule 2016 (the 2016 Rule) has been replaced by the My Health Records Rules 2026 (the 2026 Rules), which came into effect on 1 April 2026 as outlined in the key changes fact sheet.

Do you know who your RO and OMO are?

Responsible Officers (ROs) and Organisation Maintenance Officers (OMOs) play a critical role in managing your organisation’s participation in My Health Record. It is important to ensure that you understand the responsibility of these roles, who holds these positions and that they are maintained.

Resources

• Roles in the Healthcare Identifiers (HI) service – Health professionals – Services Australia
• Set up HI for your organisation
• Update your organisation’s details in the HI Service

How will you manage My Health Record Training?

All staff should understand their responsibilities, regardless of whether they access My Health Record directly or not. Consider including training in your induction process for all staff.

The updated requirements include annual refresher training. Consider how training will be tracked, recorded, reviewed and affect staff access to My Health Record.

• My Health Record recommended training list
• Example staff access and training log template

Is your My Health Record policy current?

In line with the obligations, policies must be reviewed annually (at a minimum) to ensure they reflect current requirements and practice processes.

• Policy template – A template developed jointly by the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the Agency to help organisations develop a security and access policy.

Can you demonstrate who has access?

Practices should have clear processes for authorising, reviewing and removing user access when required.

• Example staff access and training log template

How do the eHealth Incentive (ePIP) requirements align with My Health Record?

Participation in the ePIP requires the use of My Health Record to upload shared health summaries. The ePIP requirements can be found here, however careful consideration should be made to ensure that you comply with both the ePIP and My Health Record obligations.

Where to start

Many of these requirements align with activities you may already undertake for accreditation and governance. Taking the time to review your training, policies, access processes and record-keeping arrangements now can help identify gaps before they become issues.

Use the updated requirements as an opportunity to check that your practice’s My Health Record governance, training and compliance processes remain fit for purpose.

The Australian Digital Health Agency is available if you have additional questions in relation to your security and access policy after reading the guidance information. You can submit an enquiry via the Contact us form. Please mark the query ‘Attention: Compliance Outreach’.

For further guidance through the requirements for My Health Record, contact Practice Assist via practiceassist@wapha.org.au

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is changing the timeframe for submitting claims for payment of DVA-funded health services.

From 1 July 2027, the timeframe for submitting a claim will be reduced from 2 years to 1 year from the date the service was provided.

The change will align DVA’s timeframes with Medicare bulk billing arrangements, delivering greater consistency for providers across both schemes and improving the integrity of the system as older claims can be difficult to verify.

Learn more

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has published a series of new factsheets to help veterans, families of veterans, advocates and service providers better understand recent changes, current veteran support arrangements and the work underway to improve access to support.

The factsheets address topics that have generated questions within the veteran community, including:

• A simpler claims system for the veteran community following the move to the improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA)
• DVA’s efforts to improve claims processing and provide faster access to support for veterans
• The medicinal cannabis framework and what it means for those receiving DVA-funded treatment

Learn more

As temperatures rise across Western Australia, general practices can help vulnerable patients prepare before extreme heat affects their health. Heatwaves can lead to dehydration, heat stress and heat stroke, and may worsen heart, kidney, respiratory and mental health conditions.

Who may need extra support?

• Children, older people, pregnant women, people experiencing homelessness and people living with disability
• Patients with chronic conditions, multiple medications, dementia, substance use concerns or a reduced ability to self-manage in hot weather
• People with higher heat exposure, such as outdoor workers
• Aboriginal people living in remote areas

What can practices do now?

• Identify vulnerable patients and encourage them to plan regular check-ins with family, carers or neighbours during heatwaves
• Let eligible patients know about the Thermoregulatory Dysfunction Energy Subsidy, which may help offset energy costs for controlling home temperature
• Remind patients to stay hydrated, avoid unnecessary physical activity and keep cool wherever possible
• Suggest air-conditioned public places, such as libraries or shopping centres, for patients who cannot keep their home cool
• Check that patients who rely on powered medical equipment have a back-up plan during outages
• Encourage patients to use digital health tools such as My Health Record, which can assist patient care during emergency situations

Don’t wait for the heatwave alert. Build heatwave preparedness into your summer workflow now so patients know what to do, where to go and who to contact when extreme heat arrives.

View additional emergency preparedness resources on the WA Primary Health Alliance website.

From 31 October 2026, both the MindSpot GP referral pathway and the linked ORS face-to-face psychological therapies service will close to new referrals. The ORS face-to-face psychological therapies service will close by 31 March 2027, following a planned transition that supports people already receiving care to complete their current course of therapy.

MindSpot itself is not closing. It will continue to provide free online assessment and therapist-assisted treatment for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, stress and related conditions. People who may benefit from online mental health assessment and therapist-assisted treatment can access MindSpot directly, without a GP referral, through Free, digital psychological care with MindSpot.

People who need help finding the right type of support, or who may need in-person, local or more complex care, can be supported through Medicare Mental Health services or other pathways.

Unsure of the most appropriate referral pathway? The Medicare Mental Health Stepped Care Continuum provides recommended government-funded referral points based on determined level of need. If unsure, call the Medicare Mental Health phone line on 1800 595 212.

GPs, practice teams and other referrers are encouraged to note the final referral date, brief relevant staff, review referral workflows and begin conversations with affected patients early where needed. Clear and consistent communication will help support a smooth transition and maintain continuity of care.

An expansion of the care finder program in the Goldfields, Gascoyne and Pilbara will provide additional support for older people who need help navigating the aged care system.

Delivered by Amity Health in the Goldfields and Mission Australia in the Pilbara and Gascoyne, care finders work one-on-one with eligible people to connect them with aged care, health, housing and community services.

The service may be particularly beneficial for patients who are socially isolated, are experiencing communication or cognitive challenges, or have limited support networks.

Practices are encouraged to consider care finder services for eligible patients who may require additional assistance accessing care and support.

For information about local referral pathways and service availability, visit the My Aged Care Help from a care finder webpage.

Do you work in the health, education, social or community service sectors?

The 2026 Emerging Minds National Workforce Survey for Child, Parent and Family Mental Health is now open.

The survey gathers important data on the capabilities of the Australian health, education, social and community services workforce by exploring knowledge, skills, confidence, challenges and practice in managing and responding to children’s mental health needs.

Start the survey here.

Did you know you can keep up to date with Primary Sense changes through the Primary Sense release notes?

Release notes are published when updates are released. They highlight changes and improvements to reports, clinical prompts, calculations and other functionality. Reviewing the release notes can be particularly useful if a report looks different or figures have changed, as an update may help explain why.

Primary Sense release notes and other resources:

• Release notes — Primary Sense
• Resources and documents — Primary Sense
• Resources and manuals — Primary Sense
• Troubleshooting tips — Primary Sense
• Primary Sense — Practice Assist

Look out for the Primary Sense section in the Practice Connect newsletter, where we’ll keep these useful links available for easy reference.

The Primary Sense page on the Practice Assist website is another easy way to access information about Primary Sense when you need it.

For support with Primary Sense, contact your Primary Care Navigator or Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or at practiceassist@wapha.org.au