Anti-vaccination messages have no place in general practice
The RACGP reminds the community that Australian GPs remain the most trusted source of advice on immunisations and anti-vaccination messages have absolutely no place in general practice.
We strongly support immunisation for all Australians.
It is vital all Australians are fully vaccinated and their GP remains the cornerstone of an effective and timely immunisation program.
While some parents may have concerns stemming from reading misleading immunisation information, anti-vaccination messages are dangerous and are not supported by the RACGP.
I encourage all of you to speak to your patients about their vaccination concerns and remind them that vaccinations allow children to grow up healthy and enable communities to thrive.
Dr Bastian Seidel
RACGP President
RACGP analysis of Federal Department of Health figures
New figures released by the Federal Department of Health (DoH) this week paint a mixed picture for RACGP members and their patients.
Bulk billing for Medicare has gone up by 0.6% for general practice items; however, it is important to note that this is the lowest growth in bulk billing for almost a decade, and may indicate that the growth seen over many years is reaching a turning point.
The figures revealed Australian patients are further financially disadvantaged when they visit their GP. Out-of-pocket costs for GP services have increased by 4.6% in the last year – almost triple the rate of inflation.
Visit the RACGP website for more information about the DoH figures.
MBS Review Taskforce outcomes – increased rebates an accurate reflection of GP’s skills and therapeutic capacity
The Federal Government has agreed to remove the ‘General Practitioner’ and ‘Specialist’ differential fee structure for 31 minor procedures, meaning RACGP members will see increased benefits paid for approximately 30,000 of their services per year.
The RACGP strongly advocated for rebates to be paid based on procedure not practitioner in its submission to the MBS Review Taskforce.
RACGP members can visit the Department of Health website to read the Federal Government’s response to the MBS Review Taskforce recommendations.
RACGP Standards for after-hours services released for consultation
RACGP members are invited to review a draft of the RACGP Standards for after-hours services.
This will be the final opportunity for RACGP members to provide feedback. The feedback period will close on Friday 29 September.
Visit the RACGP website for more information.
Convocation voting period begins
RACGP members can now vote in shareGP on the 2017 Convocation items.
The items accepted in the Convocation submission period are:
The voting period in shareGP closes on Friday 22 September. During this period, RACGP members have the opportunity to discuss and vote on their preferred item before the Convocation conference session is held on Friday 27 October at GP17 in Sydney.
Select the item listed above to ‘Vote up’ any items you support. Members can vote on as many of the four items but can only vote once on each item. Members can change their vote in shareGP as many times as they like up until the 22 September when voting in shareGP closes. Log in to shareGP for more information on how to vote.
In Practice poll: General practice-based pharmacists
In a recent submission to the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation, the RACGP described how a general practice-based pharmacist (GPP) could support medication governance and safety in general practice. We surveyed members to learn about the extent to which practices already include, or would consider including, a pharmacist as part of the practice team.
The largest cohort of respondents (29%) advised that they already work closely with a local community pharmacist, and do not see a need to formally engage a pharmacist in their practice.
Thirteen per cent of respondents said they currently engage a pharmacist to undertake medication governance and safety activities in their practice. A similar number (12%) said they would consider doing so in the future, while a further 25% said they would only consider doing so if supported by way of payment (similar to Practice Nurse incentives). The final fifth of respondents (19%) indicated they are not considering engaging a pharmacist to undertake medication governance and safety activities at this time.
Written feedback received highlighted how the Medicare rebate freeze has severely strained practice viability, to the point where some practices are unable to afford employing additional staff, including a GPP-type position. In some cases, practices are experiencing a loss of staff as a direct result of the freeze. If financial support were made available to employ additional staff, more practices would consider engaging a pharmacist to undertake medication governance and safety activities.
The RACGP thanks all poll respondents for their feedback, which will be used to inform the RACGP’s advocacy work surrounding the role of pharmacy in primary health care.
2017.2 Applied Knowledge Test Exam results released
The RACGP is pleased to announce the 2017.2 Applied Knowledge Test results have been released. Candidates have received an email containing their results, and are advised to save or print a copy of this email for future reference.
Please contact the RACGP on 1800 472 247 or email racgpeducation@racgp.org.au for any queries or further information.
Clinical pearl: Identifying patients with a family history of cancer
Friday 25 August is the Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day and a reminder of the important role GPs play in identifying patients who may be at increased risk of cancer.
Many patients with a family history of cancer are unaware of their risk, which can be identified by completion of a simple family history-screening questionnaire (FHSQ). The questionnaire can be used as part of the patient assessment at their first visit to a practice, or patients can ask their relatives prior to completing it. Patients with low literacy may need to complete the FHSQ with the support of a healthcare professional. A positive response to any question requires follow-up with a more detailed assessment of the family history. As family history can change, it is recommended that the FHSQ be repeated at least every three years.
The risk of women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer can be clarified with the Family Risk Assessment – Breast and Ovarian Cancer (FRA-BOC) tool.
Visit the RACGP Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice (the Red Book) on the RACGP website to download the FHSQ.