21 June 2019


RACGP Awards – State winners announced

The RACGP is pleased to announce the 2019 state winners for General Practitioner of the Year, General Practice Supervisor of the Year, General Practice Registrar of the Year, and General Practice of the Year. A list of names will be made available 9:30 am Friday 21 June (AEST).

National RACGP Award winners will be selected from the cohort of state winners and will be announced at GP19, the RACGP conference to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in October.

Visit the RACGP Awards page to see the state award winners.


GP19 Program released

The program for GP19, the RACGP’s clinical conference held 24–26 October at Adelaide Convention Centre, has been released.

GP19 will focus on a variety of clinical topics that affect GPs in their clinical settings. Members attending will experience an extensive array of interactive and highly engaging sessions with take-away skills to implement in everyday practice.

Visit the GP19 website to view the program and register attendance.

Early bird registration ends Thursday 1 August.


RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Awards – Nomination period extended

Nominations for the Growing Strong, Standing Strong Together and Student Bursary awards have been extended to Monday 1 July.

RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health offers awards to a Fellow, member of the RACGP or an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has contributed to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Visit the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health awards page to download a nomination form.


Review of the Practice Incentives Program Indigenous Health Incentive

The Department of Health is currently undertaking a review of the Practice Incentives Program Indigenous Health Incentive (PIP IHI) and is seeking your participation.

A number of workshops are being held in capital cities and some regional areas throughout June and July. The workshops seek to understand, through your knowledge and experience, how the PIP IHI currently influences the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic disease.

Contact RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health via aboriginalhealth@racgp.org.au if you have any questions or would like to discuss further. Register your interest directly by contacting engagePIPIHI@thinkplace.com.au.

Date Location/Activities Time 
Monday 17 June Brisbane 1.00 – 5.00 pm
Tuesday 18 June Adelaide 9.00 am –1.00 pm
Tuesday 18 June Dalby 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Wednesday 19 June Mildura 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Thursday 20 June Canberra (workshop) 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Friday 21 June Webinar TBC
Monday 1 July Darwin 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Monday 1 July Perth 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Wednesday 3 July Townsville 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Wednesday 3 July Sydney  9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Thursday 4 July  Coffs Harbour 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
 

Note: This schedule is subject to change based on stakeholder engagement and availability.


Australian Journal of General Practice – Editorial Advisory Committee

Expressions of interest are open to RACGP members for the position of Chair of the Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) for the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP).

The EAC exists to provide expert advice on issues relevant to general practice, general practice research, ethics, and professionalism. The EAC supports the medical editors of the AJGP to build the editorial schedule and ensure the journal covers the issues most important to Australian GPs.

The Chair is responsible for guiding the committee, ensuring it effectively supports the aims and goals of the journal.

Visit shareGP for more information or to download the position description and application form.

Applications close 5.00pm, Friday 28 June (AEST).


Call for feedback: Changes to the MBS for thoracic medicine

The RACGP is currently preparing a submission to the Department of Health (DoH) as part of its six-month review of changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for thoracic medicine (respiratory function tests [items 11503 to 11512] and sleep studies [items 12203 to 12272]) that came into effect on 1 November 2018.

The 1 November 2018 changes consisted of:

  • redefining the criteria for complex lung function testing, including the introduction of new MBS items to reflect the complexity of these tests
  • amending requirements to encourage appropriately performed spirometry in the primary care setting. These changes required GPs to adjust their billing practices, particularly in relation to the services they provide for office-based spirometry (items 11505 and 11506).
  • restructuring MBS items for sleep studies to ensure patients with proven sleep disorders are better identified and more appropriately managed
  • allowing GPs to directly refer eligible patients for diagnostic home-based (unattended) or laboratory-based sleep studies for obstructive sleep apnoea when an approved assessment tool has been used
  • introducing a new set of items for multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT) and maintenance of wakefulness testing (MWT) in adult and paediatric patients.

The RACGP is interested in member experience of these changes to help inform the submission to the DoH.

Visit the RACGP member consultation page for further details on this consultation.

Email healthreform@racgp.org.au by Sunday 7 July 2019 to provide feedback.


MBS Review Taskforce submission: Participating Midwife Reference Group’s Report

The RACGP has made a submission to the Participating Midwife Reference Group, a sub-committee of the MBS Review Taskforce.

The RACGP response recommended that the Taskforce:

  • support recommendations that encourage continuity of care between patients and their regular GP and support team-based primary care
  • support measures to improve patient access to telehealth services by expanding the scope of providers eligible to participate in consultations. MBS rules that state GP consultations must be conducted face-to-face should be amended to allow non–face-to-face care where appropriate
  • consult with relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations to ensure any recommendations regarding birthing on country are clinically safe, while also meeting the healthcare needs of this population cohort.

MBS Review Taskforce submission: Allied Health Reference Group Report

The RACGP has also made a submission to the Allied Health Reference Group, another sub-committee of the MBS Review Taskforce.

The RACGP response recommended that the Taskforce:

  • ensure that any additional care provided by allied health professionals as a result of the recommendations outlined in the report is coordinated through a patient’s usual GP 
  • support the introduction of Medicare rebated Shared Medical Appointments facilitated by GPs and involving, where relevant, other members of the GP-led team
  • support enhanced communication between GPs and allied health professionals through secure messaging systems – but clarify how financial support to facilitate the setup of secure electronic messaging systems could be provided, as supporting this through MBS patient rebates is an inappropriate solution
  • propose that specific learning disabilities are recognised under the M10 descriptor
  • conduct further consultation on the addition of non-dispensing pharmacists to the list of eligible allied health professionals – specifically in regards to possible implications of duplicated funding.

Media enquiries

Journalists and media outlets seeking comment and information from the RACGP should contact:

John Ronan

Senior Media Advisor