RACGP eHealth Forum
The fourth annual RACGP eHealth Forum will be held on Thursday 20 September.
A key event on the RACGP Expert Committee – eHealth and Practice Systems (REC–eH&PS) calendar, the RACGP eHealth Forum brings together leaders in eHealth, general practice and government to share ideas on the future of digital healthcare. Topics discussed at the eHealth Forum help define the REC–eH&PS’ strategic agenda for the year ahead.
This year’s eHealth Forum will explore the power of data in general practice.
Discussion topics and key areas of focus will be shared through a live Twitter feed. Members are invited to follow and join the conversation using the hashtag #GPeHealth.
Self-care and mental health resources for GPs
The RACGP encourages all GPs and health professionals to take care of their own physical, mental, emotional and social health, and seek support when required. There are multiple barriers that may prevent health professionals accessing mental health services; however, self-care and mental health resources and services specifically developed for GPs and health professionals are available.
Self-care and mental health resources for general practitioners is an RACGP resource developed to increase GPs’ awareness of the support available to them.
Visit the RACGP website to download a copy.
In Practice poll – Managing the cost of consumables
The Health Insurance Act 1973 requires a health practitioner to accept the relevant Medicare benefit as full payment of a service if it is bulk billed. This means that additional charges for consumables (with the exception of vaccines), record-keeping fees, booking fees, administration and registration in relation to the service cannot be raised.
If a practitioner does not bulk bill a service, they may raise an extra charge to cover additional costs, such as for a consumable. However, in doing so, a practice forfeits eligibility for any bulk-billing incentives.
While GPs may choose to bulk bill their services based on a number of factors, indexation of patient Medicare Benefits schedule (MBS) rebates has not kept pace with the cost of providing quality healthcare services. As costs rise, the ability to absorb the cost of consumables as part of a bulk-billed service becomes far less manageable.
The RACGP is interested to know how you manage the cost of consumables (eg dressings, bandages, liquid nitrogen, etc) for patients who are commonly bulk billed.