No 0806: March 6th, 2008
eNews is a weekly electronic newsletter
sent to all GP practices (with email addresses) within the
Editorial Medicare dental Items to be phased out
Chronic
Disease Management National Symposium
Professional Development CPD events
HMR Subsidised
Dose Administration Aids
Immunisation Immunisation Schedule Change, Sending Correct Immunisation Encounter Data
Information
Management Medical
search engines using evidence-based medicine, Medical Director tips and New on the Web
Items of
interest Community
Palliative Care Service, Ear wax removal, GP Network news, BECC waiting times
News for
Practice Staff Training
opportunities for General Practice Staff
NPS Stilnox (zolpidem) Media Release,
New NPS Audit
Women’s Health Women’s Health Clinic at Austin Health, Improving Early Pregnancy Care
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The Medicare dental items will continue to be available to new patients who meet the eligibility criteria up to and including 30 March 2008. These Items will be closed to new patients after 30 March 2008. GPs are encouraged not to refer patients for dental services if the patient is not able to commence the dental treatment by 30 March 2008 as they will not be eligible for a Medicare rebate.
The Government will be replacing this scheme with a Commonwealth Dental
Health Program from 1 July 2008. Further information will be provided once it
is available. For further questions about the discontinuation arrangements,
please contact Medicare
Link to Media Release
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Diabetes
A team approach to optimal diabetes management is the theme for the day to explore how we can achieve ‘gold medal management’ across sectors and disciplines for clients with complications and co-morbidities of diabetes. Keynote speakers include Professor Michael Horowitz, Ms Terrill Bruere, Dr Belinda Miller, Dr Lea Sorenson and Dr Ralph Audehm. For further information or to register, please go to www.idi.org.au or www.diabetesvic.org.au. Alternatively, phone Christine McGregor at the International Diabetes Institute Training Centre on (03) 9258 5053 or cmcgregor@idi.org.au
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GPV and Informa would like to invite interested GPs from the division to attend a Victorian clinicians' breakfast to view and discuss the Map of Medicine with Dr Enone Honeyman, Clinical Lead for the Map of Medicine. The Map is a web-based visual representation of evidence-based patient care journeys covering 28 medical specialties and 387 pathways. If you would like further information please contact Chris Hayward, IMICT Team Leader, on (03) 9341 5200 or 0448 528 310. [Application Form]
As a follow up presentation from the December Practice Managers end of year dinner, Vicki Bradford, Director Training & Professional Support, AMA Victoria and Sandra Mercer Moore, Training Consultant, Esset Australia will provide you with an outline of training opportunities for practice staff under their Health Training Solutions initiative and outline the various financial support programs available to assist with the cost of staff training. Information about the various training programs offered can be located at www.healthtraining.com.au Tuesday March 18, 6:30pm- 8pm, in the Board Room, North East Valley DGP (Map) Details and application form may be found on our website.
Meetings are held each Tuesday starting at 12.30 in the
Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, Pathology Building, Repatriation Hospital,
Austin Health, West Heidelberg. Lunch is provided. Course Leader: Dr Vin Nursey Phone: 9457 1736
March 11 - Thyroid Conditions Update - Prof Richard O’Brien.
For full term Tuesday lecture program click here
“Health Care and Research in
Wednesday
12th March, 2008 12:10pm at John Lindell
Lecture Theatre, Level 4,
Opposite Medical Library - followed by lunch in the breakout area, Level
4, Education Precinct,
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From 1st March 2008, all veterans are able to have a weekly dose administration aid (eg, Websterpak) prepared by their community pharmacy and paid for by the DVA provided that this is recommended as part of a Home Medicines Review. There are templates for Home Medicines Reviews on most of the prescribing software packages available, but if you need any help in utilising this service, please call Dr Jenny Gowan, Home Medicines Reviews facilitator at Northern & North East Valley Divisions of General Practice on Ph 9416 7689 or M 0417 506 944 or Email jenny.gowan@ndgp.org.au or fax back this form to request a follow up visit. Flyer.
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DHS has provided a fact sheet for parents to explain the change to the immunisation schedule. The fact sheet is available for download from the immunisation web site at: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation/general/policy_and_procedure
The key message is that providers must report dose numbers following the antigen sequence, not the actual vaccine brand given. (Otherwise children will appear as overdue on ACIR).
Please note the following in relation to the various reporting methods:
Maintaining Cinical
Records:
Providers should enter vaccine details into patient file being careful to continue the antigen sequence - please override the program if necessary. Proceed to report to ACIR in usual manner.
Online Claiming via Practice
Software:
As long as immunisations have been correctly entered in clinical software,
proceed to generate claims in usual manner. If corrections are required, please
rectify child's records in clinical software and then proceed to generate a
claim. If a claim has been sent with erroneous data, please call ACIR 1800 653 809 to correct, or print copy of child's
corrected record and fax to ACIR on 08 9214 8163.
ACIR Secure Website (www.medicareaustralia.gov.au)
For providers using the ACIR secure website to send encounter data, please follow the age tabs as usual. All relevant vaccine options with appropriate dose numbers by antigen are available. Please note that for the 12 month encounter, when Comvax is no longer available, you will need to complete the 12 month age tab with Hiberix, Priorix and NeisVac, AND then open the "Other" tab to select the HB Vax II Paed vaccine.
ACIR Claim Vouchers:
For providers using vouchers, please follow the age guide across the top of the voucher.
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SumSearch - SUMSearch is a unique method of searching for medical evidence by using the Internet. Found under Resources and Downloads –Top GP sites. For detailed information on how it works click here.
eMedicine - comprises the largest and most current Clinical Knowledge Base available to physicians and other healthcare professionals. Nearly 10,000 physician authors and editors contribute to the eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base, which contains articles on 7,000 diseases and disorders. The evidence-based content, updated regularly, provides the latest practice guidelines in 59 medical specialties. Click here.
MD2 allows you to export patients from within Medical Director, rather than using the Maintenance program. This is quite handy if you are required to send one, or a few patient files to another location, such as another practice or an aged care facility. Open the patient record and from the Tools menu select Export Patient. If exporting to MD2 select Clinical, if exporting to MD3 select XML format. MD3 lacks the ability to export from within the patient record but you can use HCN Maintenance to import/export patients while other users are using MD.
Question: I have created a template. How do I share it with someone else?
Answer: You need to export the template as an .rtf file (Rich Text Format). Once this is done you can save it to a disk (floppy, CD/DVD, USB stick) and transfer it to the third party. Or you can email it as an attachment.
Exporting the template
1. Open LetterWriter and from the File Menu select Modify template.
2. Once the template appears on the screen go to the File menu and select Export.
3. Give the template a meaningful name and select a location to save it – somewhere easy where you can find it later (such as My Documents, Desktop or directly onto a USB stick or floppy).
4. If emailing you simply send it as attachment, once you have saved it.
Importing the template
It is imperative that the receiver of the .rtf file does not open and or save it in Word. They must follow these instructions to the letter; otherwise you will lose the fields.
1. If an email attachment, right click on the attachment and select Save target as…
2. Save the template to a logical place where you can easily find it later (such as desktop). You may be prompted to Open the file. Don’t!!
3. Open LetterWriter and from the File menu select Modify template.
4. From the File menu select New template.
5. From the File menu select Import, navigate your way to the location where the file was saved.
6. Once the template appears on the screen go to the File menu and select Save as Template… Give it an appropriate named and click on Save.
7. To use the template go to the File menu, select New and then open your template.
1. ADGP Nursing News January 08 and AGPN NiGP Website – found under Practice Nurses Network - Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) - Nurses Network
2. New Immunisation documents for Nurses – see under Practice Nurses Network - Immunisation
3. Evidence based medical search engines - SumSearch and eMedicine (see above) both found under Resources and Downloads –Top GP sites
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For residents of Darebin, Hume, Moreland and Yarra local
government areas. Provided by Melbourne Citymission
Palliative Care Service (DHS funded), with medical staffing from the Melbourne
Health Palliative Care Consultancy Service. Interdisciplinary
service. Includes Dr Brian Le, Dr Eleanor Flynn
(medical palliative care specialists) and Dr Alexandra Clinch (GP, advanced
trainee in palliative care). The aim is to collaborate with the local
GPs and enhance the holistic care of people in the end stages of terminal
illness, where cure is unlikely. And to provide advice on pain management,
other symptom management, advanced care planning, assist in the transition of
care between hospitals and home. Referrals from GPs welcome. Telephone 9486 2666 to
discuss referrals or management issues with the medical staff, nurse
practitioner or referrals coordinator.
After 25 yrs at the
This edition contains AMA Immediate Past-President on the NHHRC, Planning and Funding Needed Now if Training Bottleneck to be Avoided, Education Seminars on Medicines, Changes to Dental Program Coming Soon. Full version.
Waiting times for new referrals to Bundoora Extended Care Centre Inpatient Admissions are currently approximately GEM 1 - 3 days, Rehab 1-2 days. Any queries regarding our waiting times please contact Access BECC on 9495 3109
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See under CPD
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The NPS recently released several media releases on Stilnox (a brand of zolpediem) to consumer and health professional media outlets and to NPS working group members and other stakeholders. There are two articles:
NPS clarifies issues related to Stilnox, a brand of zolpidem – Media Release (pdf)
A related Fact Sheet (pdf). The fact sheet also appears on the front page of the NPS website www.nps.org.au. You may wish to leave copies of the consumer sheet in your waiting room.
The 1st audit for the May 2008 - 30 April 2009 QPI PIP entitled Optimizing Management of Type 2 Diabetes is open for enrollment. Enrolment closes Friday 11th April 2008 & completed audits must be submitted to NPS by Friday May 9th 2008. Audit enrolment forms are available in PPR 40 (which is mailed to you) or online at www.nps.org.au/healthpro or download here.
Note: An electronic version of the audit, Clinical e-Audit: Optimizing management of type 2 diabetes will be available in July 2008. Enrolment will be available in PPR 42 or online.
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A Women’s Health Clinic is held every month at the
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Bundoora – We are seeking a VR GP for our busy well established family medical Practice. We are fully computerized and accredited. Hours negotiable, some evenings and weekends. Excellent remuneration. Contact Michele on 9467 1444 or email: michelej@andrewplaceclinic.com.au
CBD -
Community Health Nurse – Permanent 2 x 0.6 EFT (CHN 3B)
We are
seeking an enthusiastic & experienced Div 1 Nurse, with an understanding of
the issues affecting marginalized communities, in particular people who inject
drugs, people who are homeless and people with mental health issues. Within
this position there is potential for a nurse to initiate or develop his or her
own clinics, such as a liver health or reproductive health clinic. Located in
the Melbourne CBD, a sound understanding of and commitment to community
development, health promotion, harm reduction and primary health care is
essential. A pre-employment police record check is mandatory. Salary packaging
is available. For a copy of the position description please contact Silvia on
8327 1700 or by email: Silvia.Cicciarella@dgchs.org.au.
For further information please contact Gavin Bussenschut
Coordinator Complex Needs Program on 8327 1700. Cut off date: Monday 11th March
2008
See the website for all other positions vacant and wanted
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I went to the cemetery yesterday and there were 4 pall bearers walking around with a coffin. 3 hours later they were still walking around with it.
I thought to myself:
“These bastards have lost the plot.”
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