Medicare under threat: Taking the message directly to patients
Last week in In Practice, I announced the RACGP would impart the true practical implications of the ongoing Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) freeze to the most important people affected – our patients and our communities.
The RACGP’s Federal Election and You’ve been targeted media campaign was launched officially on Monday to convince the next government to stop the freeze on the indexation of the MBS and commit to the adequate funding of general practice, so that we can continue the outstanding achievements of general practice in maintaining a healthy Australian population.
In the last few days I have had one-to-one conversations with Health Minister Sussan Ley and the Opposition Health Minister Catherine King, and I have made it very clear to them both the multiple critical consequences of the ongoing freeze on general practices and their communities.
The ongoing MBS freeze threatens the very concept of Medicare.
Australia is a rich country by any standards and our health system must ensure appropriate, and seamless access for all, but especially one that provides access for those disadvantaged sectors of our communities.
Health equity and access has been the main message of our advocacy, keeping our patients well is our raison d’etre. Patients need to be front and centre in this debate.
Our dedicated advocacy campaign during the 2016 Federal Election is targeting the policy makers via our GPs, their practices and their patients.
Our campaign priorities were informed by a member survey conducted during April and feedback from RACGP expert committees and Council.
Coincidently, next Thursday 19 May is World Family Doctor Day. What better way to mark it than by joining the campaign to ensure a quality, cost-effective general practice system, which by international standards is second to none.
The RACGP has developed You’ve been targeted posters, template letters, social media images and information leaflets to help you and your patients spread the message during the election.
I encourage you all to view the RACGP’s election strategy and I urge you to be proactive and talk to your patients and colleagues, outlining the risks to quality health outcomes, not to mention the on-costs to the rest of the health system.
Modern general practice has developed a sophisticated infrastructure to maintain our patients’ well-being. To continue to provide the same level of care with frozen funding will be not be possible.
Dr Frank R Jones
RACGP President
World Family Doctor Day 2016
In recognition of the important work carried out by GPs each and every day, the RACGP is celebrating World Family Doctor Day on Thursday 19 May.
RACGP members are encouraged to join the celebrations online and in your practice, to help us to raise awareness of the important work you and your colleagues do.
The RACGP is asking GPs to reflect upon why they chose general practice, and share their thoughts online using the dedicated hashtag #IchoseGP.
All GPs can get involved:
- Display the RACGP World Family Doctor Day poster in your practice for all your patients to see.
- Use the “I chose GP because”…poster to tell your patients and colleagues why general practice is the best specialty. Upload your pictures to social media using the hashtag #IchoseGP.
- Host a World Family Doctor Day morning tea in your practice and share your photos on the RACGP Facebook page, or tweet @RACGP using the hashtag #IchoseGP.
For more information visit the RACGP website.
RACGP endorses prostate cancer guidelines
The RACGP has endorsed the new Clinical Practice Guidelines for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) Testing & Early Management of Test-detected Prostate Cancer.
The guideline supports the long-term position of the RACGP and does not recommend prostate cancer screening in men using the PSA test. It is directed toward the situation where asymptomatic men, after they have been informed about the harms and benefits, make an informed decision and request PSA testing based on their personal values and priorities.
It has been reported that some groups are presenting the guideline’s focus on informed consent as pro screening, but the guideline is quite clear that screening is not recommended. Much of the advice is for downstream specialist management of patients.
To view the guideline, visit the Cancer Council Australia website.
The RACGP has also produced a patient information sheet to help men have an informed discussion with their GP: Should I have prostate cancer screening?
My Health Record – issues with upload and download of documents
In early March the RACGP advised members regarding a technical issue that was impacting .NET framework developers which prevented clinical documents being uploaded to, or downloaded from the My Health Record where the Microsoft security update had been applied.
The latest update from the Department of Health is that all Clinical Information System (CIS) vendors connected to the My Health Record System have been contacted about this issue. Some CIS vendors have already released an updated version in response to this issue and some vendors have an interim solution (a Registry Key Patch) available.
Practices participating in the ePIP incentive are still expected to either meet their requirements or to opt out of that quarter.
Practices are advised to contact their vendor and ask for assistance with this issue.
RACGP elections
Council election 2016
The current terms for the positions of President, Censor-in-Chief and Registrar Representative conclude at the close of the RACGP annual general meeting (AGM) on 30 September 2016.
Nominations for these positions are now open 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.org.au.
Faculty elections 2016
Nominations for elected positions on the RACGP Faculty Boards are now open and close at 5.00 pm Friday 10 June 2016.
The RACGP Faculty Boards are the local representative advisory committees for continuing professional development, education, training, quality care, research and advocacy on behalf of general practice in their respective states, and play a critical role in achieving the objectives of the RACGP.
For further information please contact your local faculty or visit the RACGP website.
Recognise your peers in the 2016 RACGP awards
The annual RACGP awards recognise and celebrate the important achievements of RACGP members each year. RACGP members across Australia are encouraged to nominate their peers in recognition of their dedication to primary healthcare in the community.
Nominations for the following RACGP awards are now open:
Nominations for the RACGP awards are closing soon.
More information is available on the RACGP national awards website, the RACGP Rural website and the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health website.
In Practice poll
Extension of Medical Benefits Schedule rebate freeze
On 3 May 2016, as part of its 2016/17 Federal Budget, the Federal Government announced an extension of the freeze on Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) patient rebates for a further two years until 30 June 2020.
Extending this freeze will result in a reduction of $925 million for MBS funding. As a result, there is an even greater likelihood of reduced access for patients and higher out-of-pocket costs while GPs strive to maintain sustainable and viable practices.
Since the suspension of MBS rebate indexation in 2013, the RACGP has advocated for appropriate indexation of MBS rebates, highlighting that indexation should keep pace with the costs associated with providing quality health services.
The extension of the MBS freeze will have significant implications for the sustainability of general practices, particularly those providing care for difficult-to-reach patient groups. The RACGP is therefore seeking member views on how they are likely to respond to the announced continuation of the freeze.
In addition to the poll below, the RACGP is also seeking your story about how the freeze is impacting your practice and your patients. For more information and to provide feedback, visit the RACGP Consultations page.