COVID-19 vaccinations through general practice
As of 27 November 2021, 39,073,842 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Australia, 19,779,891 of which were administered through general practice, equating to 51% of all vaccines administered.
RACGP advocacy
Funding for caring for people with COVID-19 in the community
As the country opens up and we learn to live with COVID-19, the role of general practice in caring for people with COVID-19 in the community will be critical.
We welcome the introduction of some comprehensive measures to help you care for COVID-positive patients in the community, but we know you have valid concerns about the $25 MBS item number for treating COVID-positive patients face to face.
We invite you to share your experiences with us to help inform our advocacy on this issue by replying to this newsletter.
Tell us about your experiences
Funding for vaccine booster doses
We have been vocal in the media about general practice – as the backbone of the nation's vaccine rollout – needing more support and financial assistance to deliver the booster program.
The RACGP is disappointed the Federal Government did not accept our proposed funding increase for booster doses. Instead, these doses are currently funded at the same rate as the second dose.
As we approach 2022 and with the majority of people reaching their six-month eligibility for a booster dose, we will continue to advocate for better funding for general practice participation in the rollout, including administering booster doses.
Updated guidance on temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines
ATAGI has published updated guidance on temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines, including that:
- chronic symptoms following COVID-19 are not a contraindication to COVID-19 vaccines, but do warrant a clinical discussion with the patient
- pregnancy is not a valid reason for exemption unless the person meets other exemption criteria
- a person may be exempt if they are a risk to themselves or others during the vaccination process (ie due to underlying developmental or mental health disorders), but note that non-pharmacological interventions can safely facilitate vaccination in many individuals with behavioural disturbances.
Read the updated guidelines
Threshold for COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme lowered
The COVID-19 vaccine claims scheme will now cover the cost of injuries starting from $1000 that are considered to be caused by COVID-19 vaccination. Previously, claims could only be made if the cost of injuries exceeded $5000.
To make a claim, a person must provide evidence of:
- the nature of the injury
- medical documentation of its likely relationship to a COVID-19 vaccination
- hospitalisation due to a vaccine-related injury (some exceptions apply)
- medical costs
- lost wages.
You can find more information about the scheme on the Department of Health website and in this newsGP article.
An extra 25 CPD points for your tireless work throughout the pandemic
You have continued to be on the pandemic frontline this year, which has meant carrying the additional burden of constantly updating your knowledge and skills to care for your community.
To acknowledge your work, the RACGP Board has allocated an extra 25 CPD points to all GPs participating in the CPD program.
The points, equivalent to 12.5 hours of non-accredited educational activities, recognise the ongoing education that has been required of you since the beginning of 2021. The points will be in addition to anything you have already uploaded for COVID-19-related activities.
You do not need to do anything to attain these points – we added them to your CPD account on 11 November 2021. Thank you once again for your ongoing hard work and dedication.
New COVID-19 self-directed CPD accredited activity
Our CPD team has also developed a new self-directed, 40-point CPD accredited activity to recognise the extensive professional development and quality improvement that has formed part of your pandemic response.
This will be highly relevant to many of you, particularly those with limited time to take on other CPD activities. The activity allows you to reflect on your lessons learned and easily record them on your myCPD dashboard, where you can also access the activity.