April 2016

The Federal Budget next Tuesday (3 May) is the Turnbull Government’s final chance to show Australia it is serious about providing adequate funding for GPs and our world-class healthcare system. The impending Federal election, expected in July, will give voters an opportunity to make a judgement call depending on what Tuesday’s Budget reveals. In the coming weeks and months I’ll be giving you constant updates on the work we are doing to get our health messages to Canberra and the general public. Over the past few months the RACGP has been tireless ...

A report launched on Thursday by the  Office of the Australian Information Commissioner  (OAIC) suggests that some general practices could use more practical support and training to improve their privacy policies. The  report , based on an assessment of 40 general practices selected at random throughout Australia, found four did not have an identifiable policy at hand. Of those that did, only four contained appropriate contact information for individuals to submit access or correction requests or complaints to the practice. During 2015 the RACGP wo...

It’s time to start planning your attendance at GP16! Registration for the RACGP’s annual conference opens on Monday 2 May. Register before 15 July to save up to $100 with early bird rates and to go into the draw to win your way to GP16. The winning delegate will receive a complimentary full delegate registration, one Gala dinner ticket, return flights from their nearest capital city and four nights’ accommodation at the Parmelia Hilton Perth. GP16 will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from Wednesday 29 September to Saturday 1 O...

The current terms for the positions of President, Censor-in-Chief and Registrar Representative on RACGP Council conclude at the close of the RACGP annual general meeting (AGM) on 30 September 2016. Nominations for these positions open on Monday 2 May at 9.00 am AEST, and close on Monday 30 May at 5.00 pm AEST. Nomination forms and eligibility requirements are now available on the  RACGP website . For more information please contact Helen Gaskin, RACGP Executive Assistant, Office of the President and CEO on 03 8699 0321 or email  elections@racgp.or...

Choosing Wisely Pearl 4 The RACGP is proud to be a partner of Choosing Wisely Australia. Over the next few weeks,  In Practice  will highlight recommendations of tests, treatments and procedures that should be questioned by GPs and their patients.   CLINICAL PEARL 4 : Don’t treat otitis media with antibiotics in non-Indigenous children aged 2-12 years where reassessment is a reasonable option   In high-income countries like Australia, most cases of acute otitis media spontaneously remit without complications. Routine use of anti...

Practice Incentive Payment: Diabetes incentive Over the past three weeks, the RACGP has surveyed members’ views on the inconsistencies in HbA1c test billing by pathology providers, following member concern that some pathology providers are not using the correct item numbers when billing HbA1c tests. The majority of respondents (56%) believe these inconsistencies are an ongoing problem that has negatively impacted on their practice’s Diabetes PIP outcome payments. An additional 6% of respondents stated they have experienced inconsistencies in pathol...

The RACGP has grown rapidly and now has more than 32,000 members. This growth, coupled with unprecedented community awareness of the vital role GPs play, makes it a critical time to ensure the organisation is structured effectively for the future. A three-tiered governance model has been proposed by RACGP Council, taking into consideration member feedback as well as benchmarking against modern best practice, other medical colleges and related organisations during its development. The model will be voted on at the 2016 annual general meeting at GP16 ...

The RACGP is currently developing the next edition of the RACGP  Standards for general practices  (the Standards) which will be launched in October 2017. The first draft of the 5th edition Standards was based on stakeholder feedback, a review of available evidence, comparable national and international primary care standards, and recommendations from the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), the body that accredits the Standards. The first draft of the Standards was launched for consultation from 15 February 2016 – 1 April 2016. T...