GP ENews
August 11,2009
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August 11,2009
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Upcoming Events
Introduction to Health Coaching for Health Professionals
Kingaroy, 26 and 27 September 2009
Click here for more information and a registration form
St George Post Grad Weekend
St George, 4-6 September 2009
RHealth and the St George GPs are hosting the St George Post Grad Weekend 4-6 September 2009. The Conference Planning Committee is pleased to invite Doctors to join them in St George on the picturesque banks of the Balonne River. Partners and families are very welcome too.
Click here for a registration form
Useful Links
Find resources from across the Divisions of General Practice Network:
http://search.healthgrid.com.au/
GSK Adult Immunisation Grants close 1 September 2009
There is less than one month before the closing date for this year's grants program, at 5.30pm (EST) on 1 September 2009. The GSK Adult Immunisation Grants aim to improve awareness of, access to, and implementation of adult immunisation in Australia, and ultimately to improve adult health.
The Grants have been designed to support new and/or ongoing innovative 'programs' and share ideas so that they can be replicated in other primary care practices and organisations around Australia.
More information
Care Planning in a Residential Care Facility
It is difficult to be sure about which MBS Item Number is the most appropriate when attending patients in a Residential Aged Care Facilities.
- There is no longer a distinction between a low-level and a high-level aged care facility and the terms 'hostel' and 'nursing homes' are no longer used.
- Commonwealth-funded residents can enter a residential aged care facility (RACF) with either low-care or high-care needs and irrespective of the level of care required they are classified as receiving residential aged care.
- If the RACF staff invite the GP to review and contribute to the patient’s Care Plan the GP can claim Item 731. This Item can be claimed every three months; this is in line with timeframes when RACF staff would review this plan. It is important to note that there must be evidence of the GP being invited to review this plan and that this review has occurred (note and signature in progress notes). This plan is for RACF use and no plan is required to be completed by the GP. The GP does not have to view the patient to claim this Item Number. If the GP is satisfied that this patient has a chronic disease diagnosis then they are eligible for the five referrals to the AHP as per MBS Item 721.
- The only time that a GP could claim MBS item 721 is for a patient who is a resident in a RACF is if they were not receiving Commonwealth funding (unfunded resident). Please contact your local RACF Manager to identify unfunded residents.
- As Item 721 is only available to patients in the community, it can not be used for Commonwealth-funded residents of aged care facilities.
For any further information on RACF related MBS Item Number or the PIP associated with the Aged Care Access Initiative please contact Mark at RHealth.
Quality Use of Medicines – Dose Administration Aids (DAA) for Veterans
Did you know that Veterans living in the community who are Gold, White and Orange Card holders are eligible for a DAA Service?
As a GP you can identify Veterans who would benefit from the DAA Service, and provide the Authority Prescriptions that allows the Veteran to receive this service. The service is free to eligible Veterans but they will have to pay their normal prescription fees.
Providing DAA prescriptions to Veterans – Authority Approval
Prescriptions for the DVA DAA Service are provided to Veterans through the normal Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) Authority approval process. GPs need Veterans’ Affairs Pharmaceutical Advisory Centre (VAPAC) Authority approval, which can be given over the phone (Free call 1800 552 580). Authority approval is required to prescribe the DVA DAA Service six-month cycle and for the Veterans Six Month Review.
Structure of the prescription
A prescription should be provided to the Veteran for one weekly DAA with 25 repeats. Another prescription should be provided for the Veterans Six Month Review.
Home Medicine Review?
An HMR for the Veteran is strongly recommended but not mandatory before starting the DAA, it will ensure that all medications (including complementary medicines) are recognised and potentially included in the DAA
Pharmacist’s role
Pharmacists will provide DAA packs to Veterans weekly and continually monitor the Veteran’s progress. The Pharmacist should check on the Veteran’s progress each time a new DAA is collected, and is required to conduct a formal review towards the end of the six month cycle (the Veterans Six Month Review). In order to maintain continuity of supply to those Veterans who are using their DAA successfully, this review must be provided to the GP towards the end of the six month period.
For more information check:
http://www.dva.gov.au/health_and_wellbeing/self-management/DAA/Pages/general%20practioners.aspx
http://www.agpn.com.au/site/index.cfm?display=1475
or call the QUM team at Health Workforce Queensland on 07 3105 7800
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NPS RADAR Summary for August 2009: Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for preventing venous thromboembolism after hip or knee replacement surgery - New product PBS listed August 2009
From 1 August, orthopaedic patients may be discharged with a PBS prescription for the oral anticoagulant, rivaroxaban. Rivaroxaban does not require dose adjustment or titration. It is continued post-discharge for a total of 14 days after knee replacement or 35 days after hip replacement. RADAR compares rivaroxaban with other anticoagulants and reviews bleeding and other risks.
Praziquantel (Biltricide) tablets PBS listed for schistosomiasis
Praziquantel tablets (600mg) have been listed as an authority-required (streamlined) benefit on the PBS as of 1 August 2009.
Oxybutynin patch (Oxytrol) PBS listed as an alternative for overactive bladder
Oxybutynin patches (Oxytrol) have been listed on the PBS as a restricted benefit for people who have detrusor overactivity and cannot tolerate or swallow oral oxybutynin.
Sitagliptin with metformin (Janumet) fixed-dose combination tablets PBS listed for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Sitagliptin with metformin tablets (Janumet) in fixed-dose combinations of 50/500 mg, 50/850 mg and 50/1000 mg are available on the PBS as of 1 August 2009.
Risedronate (Actonel Once-a-month) and summary of anti-resorptive drug listings
Risedronate once-monthly tablets are now PBS-listed for the treatment of osteoporosis. A summary of anti-resorptive drug listings for osteoporosis is provided.
For more information and full summaries go to:
http://www.nps.org.au/health_professionals/publications/nps_radar/issues/current/august_2009
Changes to the Cancer Council Queensland Wig Program
The Cancer Council Queensland is making changes to the wig program to improve fair access to wigs for people affected by cancer in Queensland. Currently the amount of money provided to individuals towards the cost of a wig is variable and many people who could access available financial support towards the payment of the wig do not.
The wig program provides relief to people who experience hair loss and often helps in taking away the worry of having to pay for the full cost of a wig. Cancer Council Queensland has evaluated the service and it is highly valued by all those who access it, we do not wish to make it a service that is only granted to those who are experiencing financial difficulties. The changes we are making will allow us to offer a financial contribution towards the cost of the wig for all people with hair loss due to cancer.
We currently offer a limited wig service. The process of obtaining funding can be lengthy and occasionally the individual requesting the wig is unaware of how Cancer Council Queensland is involved. Furthermore many people can obtain an additional financial contribution towards the cost of the wig from another provider and often this opportunity is not accessed. Cancer Council Queensland is committed to reducing the burden of cancer on individuals and is keen to ensure that those who would benefit from accessing our broader services are encouraged to do so. Through introducing the wig program into the Helpline we can better meet the information and support needs of our clients through integrating this service as one element of our comprehensive Helpline service.
With effect from August 10th 2009, any person experiencing hair loss as a direct result of cancer or cancer treatment can ring the Helpline on 13 11 20. A member of the Helpline team will then ask a few standard questions to determine how the caller can best access funding towards the cost of a wig. We will also see how the person is dealing with their cancer and offer any other support services which might be required at this time.
The Helpline Operator will inform the caller how much funding Cancer Council Queensland will provide towards the cost of their wig and provided that they meet the criteria (have a cancer diagnosis, have not applied to us for a wig previously) we will immediately issue a voucher which will be posted to the caller. This voucher can then be taken to a wig provider, used as payment towards the cost of the wig and the wig provider will then send the completed voucher to us for the value of the voucher to be redeemed. We are confident that this new process will provide a more efficient, equitable and easy to access client centered service. If you would like to discuss this further or have any queries about the process please do not hesitate contact me.
Kind Regards
Claire Kelly
Helpline Manager
How do GPs provide palliative care in rural and remote Queensland?
An Invitation to Have Your Say
Palliative Care refers to the specialist care given to people living with and dying from an eventually fatal condition such as advanced cancer, severe heart failure or COPD. The University of Queensland wants to know how the land lies for rural GPs caring for these patients…
More information
End of Life Alliance
Queensland Health has commissioned the Queensland End of Life Alliance (EOLA) to draft recommendations for end of life care provision in Queensland. To assist with this process two surveys have been created:
- One for health professionals working in Queensland; and
- One for residents/the general public (including non-health workers) in Queensland
The two online surveys are now up and running on Palliative Care Queensland's website. Go to www.palliativecareqld.org.au and follow the links to either the health professional’s survey or the general public survey. Your input is important. The survey closes on Monday 31st August 2009.
Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme 65th Anniversary Dinner
To celebrate 65 years of operation in 2009, the Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme (QHRSS) is organising an Anniversary Dinner. This is an ideal opportunity for previous scholarship recipients, rural health professionals and anyone associated with health care in rural Queensland to come together to celebrate the success of the QHRSS and the impact that it has had on Queensland communities since 1944.
More information
News from Queensland Lithotripsy Services (QLS)
It’s been an interesting start to the year for many people but we remain committed to providing a high quality service to patients with persistent tendinopathies.
QLS uses a dedicated ultrasound guided Dornier EPOS Ultra machine, enabling us to focus on the exact area/depth required for accurate treatment. No treating blind. It also boasts a dual power ability to select low through to high power as required depending on the type of problem being treated.
QLS has over 9 years of clinical experience in orthotripsy and has proved that a number of conditions can be successfully treated including: plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, trochanteric bursitis, tennis and golfers elbow and calcific/ non calcific tendinitis of the shoulder.
Our treatment regime is not done in conjunction with any other treatment and each of 3-4 sessions is dedicated to orthotripsy lasting around 25-30 mins. We are covered by Workcover and more recently Veterans Affairs (on a strictly case by case basis at this stage).
The attached references outline features needed for quality treatment in orthotripsy.
The ability to select both low and high power has been of enormous benefit to us and our patients.
1. Ultrasound guided high energy extracorporeal shockwave treatment of symptomatic calcareous tendinopathy of the shoulder. Christian Jakabeit et al. ANZ J. surg.2002; 72:496-500. This concluded: “There are certain factors which are prerequisites for successful ESWT. The first is continuous ultrasound guidance of treatment. The second is a high energy therapy concept and repeat treatments if possible until the calcareous deposits are reabsorbed. The advantage of continuous sonographically guided ESWT is that it enables permanent visual control and the ability to correct the direction of shockwaves that provides for optimal therapy”
2. Randomised placebo-controlled, double –blind clinical trial evaluating the treatment of plantar fasciitis with an extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) device: A North American confirmatory study. Patricia Kudo et al. Journal of orthopaedic research Feb 2006.
We are based at Brisbane Private Hospital. More information on our service is available at www.qldlitho.com.au or phone 07 3834 6448.
Australian health software leaders create major clinical messaging network
Medical-Objects and ArgusConnect, Australia's main clinical communications networks, have agreed to integrate their secure clinical communications and directory services. This is a major breakthrough for secure electronic delivery of clinical information in Australia.
More information
Patients wanted for Kilinefelter’s Syndrome Study
Click here for more information or to be involved.
