Primary healthcare getting the attention it deserves
The future of Medicare, primary healthcare and general practice continues to be relevant and remains a critical issue for our communities in the lead-up to the Federal Election.
Thanks to the RACGP’s strong advocacy efforts with the ‘You’ve been targeted’ campaign, including the #youvebeentargeted hashtag, as well as the national TV campaign to raise community awareness, the future structure and financing of Medicare is being discussed at the very highest levels of government.
Survey results in the general media this week indicate that 69% of people strongly agree that no extra payments should be passed on to patients.
Patients identify with their GPs and increasingly understand the fiscal ramifications of the Medicare rebate freeze, which could impact on the quality of care they receive. This especially resonates with our patients with chronic disease, who need to see us on a regular basis.
The freeze has undoubtedly galvanised ‘hardened’ front-line GPs to seriously reflect on its effect on their patients’ care and their sustainability of their practices. The impact of the debate over the freeze has also accelerated the RACGP’s role in positive advocacy on behalf of patients, communities, and members.
Amidst all the politics, the ‘Good GP’ campaign has continued, raising the profile of what we do and how we provide patient-centred, cost-effective healthcare. There is no doubt the RACGP’s voice is being heard.
While the national election is imminent, our RACGP Council elections are now reaching their conclusion. Last week I mentioned the Presidential Forum in which the candidates explained their views on various RACGP and profession-related matters. This is an important election for the RACGP and I strongly urge you to view the Presidential Forum and use your option to vote. Voting concludes at 4.00 pm AEST on Monday 27 June.
I also recommend you take a look at this overview of our lively Q&A-style Member Forum in which panellists discussed the member-selected topics of funding for health and antimicrobial stewardship. The full forum is available now on the RACGP website.
The idea, which originated from member feedback, is to engage with members more fully on important topics of the day. This is a model we will repeat in the coming months, with the next member forum to be held at GP16 in Perth. Members are encouraged to submit their suggested topics for discussion to advocacy@racgp.org.au.
Dr Frank R Jones
RACGP President
GP16 early bird rates end 15 July
GP16 is the highlight event of the year in the general practice calendar and preparations are off to a great start with more than 450 delegates already registered, 39% more than the number of registrations received at the same time last year.
GP16 is a great opportunity to earn Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) points towards your requirements for the 2014-16 triennium. Be sure to secure your place early in the continuing professional development (CPD) activities GP16 has on offer, as already:
- 61% delegates have secured their preferred ALM
- Four ALM topics are over 50 percent booked
- 70 CPR workshop places are filled
- Over 120 gala dinner tickets sold
- 95 organisations are booked in the exhibition hall.
Register now to save $100* and secure your place in your preferred CPD activity.
*Discount applies to RACGP member and non-member registrations only.
Environmental impacts in general practice
The RACGP has been invited by the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) to contribute to a discussion paper to develop a national strategy for climate, health and wellbeing.
The response will be led by the RACGP Specific Interests Environmental Impacts in General Practice Network. The network gives the RACGP a stronger voice in work to improve health through acting to reduce climate change. This comes at a crucial time. Many GPs will have been at the forefront of the wild weather in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania recently, and so will have firsthand experiences of the devastating effects of our changing climate.
The discussion paper can be downloaded on the CAHA website.
To join the Environmental Impacts in General Practice Network contact RACGP Specific Interests.
Clinical pearl
Changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for blood glucose monitoring strips
Starting from 1 July, there will be changes to access of self-monitoring blood glucose test strips under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). These changes will not affect people with diabetes using insulin or women with gestational diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes not using insulin will be eligible for an initial six-month supply of subsidised blood glucose test strips. After six months, they will be eligible for further access to subsidised test strips if their doctor considers it clinically necessary to continue their use. The decision to provide additional six-month access is based on the clinical judgement of the doctor regarding their patient’s glycaemic control. The six-month review is also an opportunity to review the patient’s health outcomes in relation to their agreed goals.
Visit the Department of Health website for further information, including clinical criteria.
View the RACGP’s Diabetes Handbook for recommendations on self-monitoring.
In Practice poll
What proportion of your patients are bulk billed for the services you provide?
There has been interest recently in the reported bulk billing rate of 83% for general practice services. That rate has been used as a quasi-indicator of patient access to general practice services, and is currently being used to measure the impact of the indexation freeze on Medicare rebates.
However, it has been widely reported that this statistic is not an accurate reflection of the number of services bulk billed – let alone the number of patients who are bulk billed. We therefore invite you to participate in this poll to help the RACGP better understand the proportion of patients (as opposed to services) who are bulk. The results of this poll will be used to contribute to the current debate on healthcare affordability and investment in primary healthcare services.