May 2017

All voting and attendance at the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) will be conducted electronically to allow equity and ease of access for RACGP members across Australia. RACGP members have  various options  to watch and vote at the online EGM via Lumi, the partner organisation employed by the RACGP to provide electronic voting. It is strongly recommended that you either download the 'Lumi AGM' app or check the Lumi EGM website in advance of the 8.00 pm (AEST) Tuesday 30 May meeting time to ensure access capability. Log in will be available from...

Health Assessments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Wednesday 31 May 2017, 7.30–8.30 pm (AEST). The RACGP is hosting a webinar during National Reconciliation Week to improve effectiveness in conducting health assessments with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Follow-up services and actions need to be implemented systemically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments to be most effective.  Current evidence indicates follow-up is inconsistent  and improved health outcomes can be achieved when continuo...

RACGP members can now access the updated Closing the Gap (CTG) – Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Co-Payment Measure education guide. The guide includes more information to help you meet PBS requirements, including: the measure and how it works how to register patients how to write CTG prescriptions prescribing and dispensing requirements for CTG annotation code prescriptions patient payments and PBS Safety Net recording CTG–PBS Co-payment Measure patient contributions claiming prescription serial numbers. Visit the  Department of Hum...

The RACGP has been monitoring the emergence of various online platforms being used to deliver on-demand general practice services. On-demand telehealth services generally consist of a website of mobile applications, with consultations being patient-initiated. Depending on the provider and platform used, patients are offered a range of services, including consultations, referrals, prescriptions and medical certificates. The RACGP has developed a position statement on the use of on-demand telehealth services, which accompanies the  existing suite of ...

Earlier this year, the Federal Government announced a rescheduling of the start of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program due to a delay in the implementation of the National Cancer Screening Register. Based on RACGP recommendation, the Department of Health has developed the following interim arrangements: Between 1 May – 30 November 2017, the Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) test will be added to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) at a Medicare rebate of $36.00 per test and will exist alongside the rebate for the conventional cytology test ...

RACGP Queensland has relocated to a new address – Level 7, 410 Queen Street, Brisbane 4000. The faculty’s postal address remains PO Box 1616, Coorparoo DC Qld 4151. Visit the  RACGP website  for RACGP Queensland contacts.

Recently published osteoporosis guidelines recognise the increasing problem of fragility fracture in men on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Large studies have shown that ADT increases fracture risk by 30–60% relative to untreated men of the same age. Low bone-mineral density (BMD) is a common but under-recognised problem in men, even prior to commencement of ADT. A study of Australian men commencing ADT showed that, at baseline, 11 % had osteoporosis and 40% osteopenia, and 60% of the men with osteoporosis were unaware of the poor state of thei...

RACGP members are encouraged to join the online World Family Doctor Day (WFDD) conversations today and throughout the weekend. This year’s WFDD theme, ‘Depression: Let’s talk’, provides an opportunity for Australian GPs and international family doctors to reflect on the crucial role they play in the treatment of mental health disorders. RACGP members can join the online WFDD conversation by sharing a photo of themselves holding up a depression statistic on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtags #Letstalk and #WFDD2017. Visit the  RACGP website  fo...