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PIP eHealth Incentive

Department of Health and Ageing Update

Requirement 1 – secure messaging
Practices are required to confirm that they have a secure messaging capability provided by an eligible supplier.  A number of application forms were submitted before the list of eligible suppliers was available through the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) website.  These practices are strongly advised to check the NETHA website to confirm that their secure messaging provider is on this list. Practices have until 31 July 2009 to advise Medicare Australia of any information which may affect their eligibility for this requirement. For more information visit www.nehta.gov.au/pip

Requirement 2 – PKI certificates
Medicare Australia has received a large number of applications for Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates, which will take time to process.  Practices that have submitted applications for individual and/or location/site PKI certificates by 30 April 2009 will be considered to have met this requirement, even if they have not received their PKI certificate(s) by that date. For more information visit www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/pki

Requirement 3 – electronic clinical resources
Practices have been provided with examples of resources that can assist them to meet the electronic clinical resources requirement.  The examples are a guide only. Practices can determine which electronic clinical resources meet both the relevant descriptions in the PIP eHealth Incentive Guidelines, as well as the unique needs of their GPs and patients. Please note, it is up to individual practices, rather than software suppliers, to determine whether electronic resources meet the eligibility requirements.

RACGP Update

The College has provided additional recommended resources to help you meet Requirement 3 of the PIP eHealth Incentive, please see these additions in the table below.

General Update

Pen Computer Systems is the RACGP preferred Health Informatics supplier. They are able to support practices to meet Requirement 1 of the PIP eHealth Incentive via a range of their products that have secure messaging capability, as well as a range of resources to support Requirement 3. For more information visit www.pencs.com.au/files/PIP_eHealth_Incentive_MarketRelease_30042009.pdf

As a member of the RACGP you have access to a broad range of electronic clinical resources to help your practice meet Requirement 3 of the 2009 PIP eHealth Incentive.

How to meet Requirement 3:

• Your practice must have the electronic clinical resources available on the computer desktop in the consulting room either on the hard drive, CD-ROM or website shortcut (direct link). See instructions on how to create a website desktop shortcut.
• You must have the current edition of the resource. Be aware that your electronic patient file system may not contain the most current edition. Call your provider in order to find out what edition is built into your system.
• The range of electronic resources you make available must fit into the categories outlined in the PIP eHealth Incentive Guidelines. This includes:
• At least 1 resource from each category in Table 1: Key Electronic Resources (minimum of 3 resources in total)

and

• At least 3 resources from any category in Table 2: Other Electronic Clinical Resources (minimum of 3 resources in total but they can all come from one category if you wish)
• A minimum overall total of 6 resources

This is a preliminary list of electronic clinical resources available from the RACGP via our website or exclusively for members via MyGeneralPractice to help you meet this requirement.

College Resources via our Website

The scope of electronic clinical resources available via the RACGP website is a combination of those available free, some with cost associated and those available to members only.

MyGeneralPractice

MyGeneralPractice is available free to full financial members and provides access to a wide range of resources necessary to meet Requirement 3. As outlined below.

Table 1: KEY ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Category	RACGP Website	MyGeneralPractice
Concise, evidence-based guide to recommendations about patient management that covers all common disorders seen in general practice (latest edition)   The College recommends this category is inclusive of multiple, individual guidelines that each address one or more of a range of common disorders seen in general practice, and together make up a concise guide to common disorders seen in general practice.	eTherapeutic Guidelines Complete website (with member discount to access resource)   Dynamed (available to members via the RACGP Online Library) External resources include: Murtagh’s General Practice Merck Manuals Online Medical Library	The Practice Resources page under the 'elibrary' section has a link to: eTherapeutic Guidelines Complete website (with member discount to access resource) The Clinical Resources page under the ‘elibrary’ section has a link to: Dynamed
Formulary of medicines available in Australia that provides comparative drug information reflective of contemporary Australian general practice and is independent of pharmaceutical company involvements (latest edition)	Australian Medicines Handbook website (with member discount to access resource)    External resources include: eMIM	The Clinical Resources page under the 'elibrary' section has a link to: Australian Medicines Handbook website (with member discount to access resource)
Evidence-based guide to preventative activities in general practice which is relevant to the Australian population (latest edition)	Guidelines for Preventive Activities in General Practice – the Red Book	The Standards & Guidelines section on the Clinical Resources page has a link to: Guidelines for Preventive Activities in General Practice – the Red Book

Table 2: OTHER ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Category	RACGP Website	MyGeneralPractice
Journal of evidence-based clinical care	The RACGP Online Library and website provides access to a wide range of both evidenced based clinical care journals and clinical care summary journals including but not limited to: Bandolier Cochrane BMJ Meditext and AUSThealth databases	The eLibrary tab provides access to a wide range of both evidenced based clinical care journals and clinical care summary journals including but not limited to: Bandolier Cochrane BMJ Meditext and AUSThealth databases
Clinical resources (latest editions)	The Silver Book : Medical Care of Older Persons in Residential Aged Care Facilities The White Book : Abuse and violence: Working with our patients in general practice SNAP: A population health guide to behavioural risk factors in general practice Diabetes Management Handbook Care of patients with Dementia Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) management in General Practice Clinical Guidelines for Stoke and TIA Management Management of incontinence in general practice Smoking cessation guidelines for Australian general practice There are a number of other clinical guidelines produced by a range of organisations that can be found by accessing the RACGP website	The Standards & Guidelines section on the Clinical Resources page has a link to: The Silver Book : Medical Care of Older Persons in Residential Aged Care Facilities RACGP website which provides a link to many more clinical guidelines The 'eLibrary' section on the Clinical Resources page has a link to: Fitness to drive
Regulatory resources (latest editions)	Standards for general practice – standards by which practice are accredited Green Book : Putting prevention into practice – reviews the evidence around implementation of preventive activities	The Standards & Guidelines section on the Clinical Resources page has a link to: Standards for general practice – standards by which practice are accredited Green Book : Putting prevention into practice – reviews the evidence around implementation of preventive activities

Please note the College is not currently aware of any one agency that can provide the range of resources necessary to fully meet Requirement 3. The College encourages practices to access resources from a range of organisations to ensure you fully meet Requirement 3.

Becoming a member of the College enables you to access the most comprehensive range of electronic resources we have available. For information on membership visit www.racgp.org.au/membership.

For further information for practice managers, see the Australian Association of Practice Managers information about the new eHealth PIP at www.aapm.org.au. A link to PIP information is located on the AAPM home page.

Publication Date: 17 December 2009