February 2016

The RACGP Corporate Governance Review was launched in response to an item raised at the 2013 Convocation of members. Since its launch, RACGP members have had several opportunities to provide comment. Taking into account this important member feedback, and benchmarking this against modern best practice, other medical colleges and related organisations, the RACGP now has a proposed corporate governance model. This model principally meets the criteria articulated by RACGP members during the consultation phase; that of a peer-led professional organisat...

Following a  Federal Government announcement  in December 2015, four new drugs for  hepatitis C  will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 March 2016. The new drugs are: Sofosbuvir, Ledipasvir, Daclatasvir, Ribavirin, and can be used to treat patients with specific genotypes of hepatitis C (genotypes 1, 2 and 3). GPs have a major role to play in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of patients with mild hepatitis C and referral of patients with more serious, advanced cases of the disease. GPs will be able to obtain Autho...

It’s not too late to contribute your knowledge, expertise and research to the GP16 conference program. The call for abstracts closes this afternoon, so get in quick to submit your abstract for a workshop, oral session, short paper or poster presentation. This is your opportunity to connect with colleagues, share your insights and improve our future in practice. Clinical, Digital, Leadership  is the overarching theme of GP16, and abstracts are invited relating to the key conference streams: Public health Chronic conditions GP education Models o...

Peanut allergy prevention Peanut allergy affects almost three in every 100 children in Australia. Around 20% of children ‘grow out of’ their peanut allergy. Since delaying the introduction of peanuts may be associated with an increased risk of developing peanut allergy, healthcare providers should recommend introducing peanut-containing products into the diet of infants at high risk early in life (between four and 11 months of age). Infants are considered at higher risk if they have been diagnosed with early-onset atopic disease, such as severe ecz...

ePIP eligibility criteria The ePIP eligibility criteria has been revised. In addition to the existing criteria, from 1 May 2016, a general practice will be required to upload shared health summaries (SHS) to the My Health Record system (formerly the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR)) for 0.5% of the practice’s standardised whole patient equivalent (SWPE) to be eligible for ongoing ePIP payments. The revised ePIP requirement equates to about five shared health summaries per full-time equivalent GP per quarter (i.e. for a practic...

The draft RACGP Standards for general practices (5th edition) was launched on Monday 15 February and all stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback. The draft Standards are available for download on the  RACGP website . Email  standards@racgp.org.au  or phone the Standards team on (03) 9998 8630 for more information.

The 58th RACGP Council gathered in Melbourne last week for the first full Council meeting of 2016.  The Council deliberated on a multitude of issues, including the RACGP’s future governance model and the ongoing community awareness campaign,  The Good GP . Connection with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) continues to be an area of focus, with Faculty Board chairs and members leading in the strengthening of relationships with their local PHNs. As outlined in the  RACGP position statement on PHNs , the RACGP believes there is opportunity for PHNs to a...

The Department of Health has updated its  Zika Virus information  to include  interim guidelines for management of pregnant women with Zika virus exposure  and  recommendations to reduce the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus . These guidelines and recommendations have been developed by the  Communicable Diseases Network Australia  (CDNA), and are endorsed by the CDNA and the Australian Health Protection Committee. All GPs are encouraged to familiarise themselves with this latest information.