No 38: November 8, 2007
eNews is a weekly electronic newsletter
sent to all GP practices (with email addresses) within the
Editorial Invitation to NEVDGP’s 2007 AGM
Chronic
Disease Management Get into Life, Diabetes Risk
Assessment Tool
Professional Development CPD events
Immunisation Measles, HPV reminders
Information
Management Encryption
and IM PIP payments, Coming soon in MD3.7, Medical Director tips and New on the Web
Items of
interest
News for
Practice Staff Final Networking
Session, Aged Care - A Collaborative Model
Paediatrics RCH Primary Care Liaison, GP Advisory Groups
Women’s Health Conference:
Abortion in
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All GP members (and partners) of the North East Valley Division of General Practice are invited to attend this year’s AGM to be held at Adams of La Trobe, John Scott Meeting House, La Trobe University, Bundoora campus. This includes an excellent four course meal with wine and music together with much sought after door prizes – a bottle of Hill of Grace wine, dinner for 2 at a restaurant of choice and membership of a football club of choice. This year’s guest speaker is Dr Howard Goldenberg, a former GP of the division. Howard has recently completed his lifelong ambition to write an account of his father’s role (as a GP for over 60 years) in his upbringing and choice of career. “My Father’s Compass” has been widely applauded. Contact Jennie at the division on 9496 4333 for an invitation or download an invitation here.
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‘Life! Taking Action on Diabetes’ is an evidence based, behaviour change intervention program aimed at substantially delaying or preventing the development of type 2 diabetes in Victorians, at high risk, over 50 years of age. DA-Vic is currently recruiting 100 health professionals to deliver the Life! behaviour change intervention programs. For more information see here. If a health professional in your practice would like to be a Life! provider please contact Rebecca Cheers on 9667 1765 or email rcheers@dav.org.au
The
risk assessment tool will be widely available and publicly promoted through a
broad social marketing campaign, and patients will be encouraged to assess
themselves for risk. All GPs
will need to know about the ‘diabetes
risk assessment tool’ so as they are not caught out when patients present
to the clinic with expectations and questions about the tool and the Life!
Program – see above.
Unite for Diabetes on Wed 14 Nov - World Diabetes Day
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Arthritis
Wednesday 21 November 9.30 - 4pm in Elsternwick. Enquiries and bookings to Sandra Barry, Training Co-ordinator on 8531 8008 or visit http://www.arthritisvic.org.au
Sunday
25 November 2007 - The RACGP New Fellows Committee is conducting a family-friendly
education seminar at the Royal Melbourne Zoo to assist new Fellows who are
starting out in general practice. This seminar will provide information from
practice owners, financial experts, insurance experts, GP supervisors and other
new Fellows. It will also draw on the RACGP Employment Kit. Bring your family
for an afternoon of socialising and interactive education. For more information
contact Victoria Faculty Events on 03 8699 0563
or email vic.events@racgp.org.au.
To download the event flyer, visit, http://www.racgp.org.au/vic/events
This event is proudly sponsored by major sponsors Tolhurst Ltd and MDA National and exhibitor sponsors Experien Medical Finance and National Medical and Imaging
Group.
“The Changing Face of General Practice: can women GPs shape it?” - Speaker: Dr Barbara Burge
Thursday
22nd November, 6.45pm – 9.30pm at University House,
Dr Barbara Burge is a recently retired GP. Women’s health issues have been
the focus of a career in which she has practiced as a family therapist. She is
currently a representative on the Mental Health Standards Collaboration.
Barbara established the first shared care arrangements with the Royal Women’s
Hospital and Kensington Community Health Centre and has organised the shared
care system at the
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
November 13 - Metabolic Syndrome - Dr Mario Deluise
For full term Tuesday lecture program click here
World Diabetes
Day + 1 - “Year of the Child”, “Diabetes in the Young”,”Diabetes
and Me”
Speakers: Dr
Anton Harding, Paediatric Endocrinologist Consultant,
Austin Health and Jeremy Metha, Youth Ambassador,
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Thursday 15 November
12.10 pm at John Lindell lecture theatre, Level 4, Lance Townsend building.
Opposite medical library. Followed by a healthy free lunch outside John Lindell lecture theatre at 1:00pm
15
November, 8.15-9am Lecture Theatre, Dept of Surgery, 8th
Floor,
This week’s topic “Current Management in Ovarian Cancer” - Prof D Allen,
Director of Gynaecology,
For full years program click here
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There are still extensive measles epidemics occurring overseas often in the
more "civilized" parts of the world where people don't normally think
of the need for travel vaccines.
18 – 26 is a prime age for females wanting to travel. Many will organise to have health checks and vaccinations prior to departure. We recommend that you use this opportunity to check their HPV immunisation status and offer it to those who have not had it yet. Remember that the funded HPV vaccine for those 18 – 26 year old finishes 30 June 2009 and they may not be back from their travels in time!
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The question was recently raised as to whether a practice was breaking the rules re PIP IM payments for receiving unencrypted discharge summaries and reports from Austin Health. Because a practice has an “opt in” choice of receiving unencrypted health information, does this disqualify them from being eligible for the PIP payment? After a lengthy delay Medicare has given us clarification of this issue in writing!
“The receiving of patient information
into the practice is not in question, only the transferring of data. The
practice can choose to receive data either by email or by fax, depending on
what the practice finds most expedient and secure. It is what the practice does
with the information once it has received it that the issue of encryption
becomes a factor”.
In short you can request the
The December release of MD3.7 will include the ATSI status being visible from the main patient screen (like smoking and occupation). There will also be room for a patient photo.
When you open Travel Medicine you get general disease recommendations. Once you put in a departure date the vaccination schedule appears which allows you to give today’s vaccinations and make appointments for the next.
Question: In MD2 I used to save both my Recall searches and my Database searches and later, open them. In MD3 I can save a database search but don’t know how to open it.
Answer: This is a known problem and at the time of writing the HCN Helpdesk told me that it will be fixed in a future release (?!). Once you close a search and go the File menu there is an Open menu item, but nothing happens when you click on it. MD2 users will be happy to know that you can save and open both Recall and Database searches. With MD2 you will find that the MDW2 directory contains Recall and Searches folders. There is no equivalent of this in any of the HCN directories.
1. RACGP QA&CPD Program 2008-2010 – this flyer provides an overview of key elements of the 2008–2010 Program. Found under GP Education Resources.
2. Combined PM and PN Final Network session Dec. 13, 2007 – application form found under Calendar of Events.
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The NEVDGP website has been ranked No. 2 by visits on all Australian websites in the Health and Medical - Primary and Specialist industry for the quarter ending July-September 2007.
DHS has issued an alert on a woman seeking the drug Oxycontin 80mg from many different medical practitioners. The woman in question is 27 years old with tattoos. She has been mainly active in the northern suburbs and has sometimes been reported to be travelling with a 38 year old male from Wagga Wagga or Mildura.
For further information, please contact the Drugs and Poisons Duty Officer on 1300 364 545 and quote reference number 163481.
BECC provides an extensive rehabilitation and (HACC funded) community speech pathology service. The focus is on rehabilitation and ongoing support to people with acquired or progressive communication and/or swallowing problems who live at home or reside in low level residential care facilities (hostels), CRUs and SRSs. Either contact Speech Pathology Department, BECC for further information (ph: 9495 3163 or email: matthew.bradley@nh.org.au) or refer direct to ACCESS BECC on 9495 3109.
To streamline referrals for in-patients, outpatients or community services it is strongly recommended that you use the Victorian Statewide Referral Form. This is available as a supplied template in Medical Director and Genie. You can also download it from the NEVDGP website under IM Resources – No. 2 Hospital Referrals – don’t forget to right click and select Save as Target... Please follow the download instructions on the IM resources page. If you have difficulties or questions regarding the download process please contact Noel at the division on 9496 4333.
This edition contains the Coalition announcements of practice nurses and more training places for general practice and their commitment to extend the Rural Medical Infrastructure Fund. Full version.
Waiting times for new referrals to Bundoora Extended Care Centre Inpatient
Admissions are currently approximately GEM 2-3 days and Rehab 3-5 days. Any
queries regarding our waiting times please contact Access BECC on 9495 3109
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- Resilience in the Workforce - Sally Trembath-Hastings
- Training Opportunities for practice staff – Corey Harris
- Information Management Update –
Thursday
December 13, 6:30pm – 9.00pm (Dinner Provided), John Scott Meeting
House, La
Use this Application Form to view details and register OR email Noel to confirm attendance.
An overview of how doctors and
practice nurses can work together to provide medical care to residents of aged
care homes
Thursday 29th
November 7-9pm (Registration and light meal from 6.30) To be held in the Board Room, North
East Valley Division of General Practice, Level 1 Pathology Building, Repatriation
Hospital. Flier & Application form under CPD
calendar
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Do you know about Kids Connect, Primary Care Liaison at the RCH? We have a website for community healthcare professionals and are available by phone or email if you are having problems or have a query regarding the RCH. Our website is now listed at the bottom of many RCH discharge summaries for your convenience and we send a card with the website on it out with summaries posted from Health Information Services. Please also contact us with any suggestions.
Kids Connect (Primary Care Liaison) www.rch.org.au/kidsconnect / tel (03) 93454645 / susan.jury@rch.org.au (GPLO) / maria.cendanapaiva@rch.org.au
(GP Consultant)
Kids Connect, Primary Care Liaison at the RCH has recently formalised partnerships with the highest referring Divisions of General Practice for both urban and rural/regional areas. We are working together to help build relationships between the hospital and primary care. If you want to know more or have a contribution to make, please speak to your Division staff or contact Kids Connect directly.
Kids Connect (Primary Care Liaison) www.rch.org.au/kidsconnect / tel (03) 93454645
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the latest information about the provision of abortion in
In 2004 WHIN
developed an online ‘Quick Reference Guide’ (QRG) http://www.whin.org.au/QRG.html which
provides a convenient way for you to find information regarding local services
and programs. An evaluation workshop is being held on Thursday 15th November 10-11:30
am or 2-3:30pm, at Jika Jika
Community Centre,
The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool can be found at http://www.nbcc.org.au/risk/
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There are no new ads this week. See the website for positions vacant and wanted.
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A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.
"House" for instance, is feminine: "la casa." "Pencil," however, is masculine: "el lapiz."
A student asked, “What gender is 'computer'?"
Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.
Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computadora"), because:
1. No-one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay-cheque on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ("el computador"), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.
The women won.....
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