Argus 'Buddy Practice' Initiative - This is an opportunity for your practice to nominate a non-Argus Specialist or Allied Health Practitioner to have Argus installed free of charge. If you have a Specialist or Allied Health Practitioner with whom you would like to communicate electronically, ask them if they would like to have Argus installed, and contact the Division for the 'Buddy Practice - Quick Argus Signup Form’. This form needs to be returned to the Division before the 19 December 2008. More information. To register or to obtain the registration form contact Leslie at the Division.

 

Refugee Health Fact Sheets available online - Patient fact sheets have been prepared by the NSW multicultural health and refugee health nurse services and are available on the Multicultural Health Communication Service website. For each particular resource, click on 'resource details' to see the language versions available (5-6 each).Topics available include:

• Vitamin D Deficiency
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatitis B
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Schistosomiasis

Parkinson's Disease Resource to assist GPs Now Available - The second edition of 'Parkinson's Disease: A General Practice Approach' produced by Parkinson Victoria and endorsed by the RACGP is now available free of charge. The aims of the manual are to:

• improve recognition of Parkinson's, particularly in the early stages when symptoms can be non-specific and the signs subtle

• emphasise the individual nature and wide clinical spectrum of the disease in terms of severity, rate of progression, symptom complexity and response to treatment

• encourage early specialist referral whether or not there is diagnostic uncertainty, before commencing treatment

• outline disease-stage appropriate management plans including medication, non-drug strategies and allied health expertise.

To obtain a copy of the manual please contact the Division.

 

GP Scholarships Available for Distance Education in Cross-Cultural Mental Health - Do you want to develop more confidence working cross-culturally with patients experiencing mental health problems? The NSW Institute of Psychiatry & NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre are offering a distance education unit of study in 'Cross-Cultural Mental Health Care in General Practice'. Semester begins February 23, 2009 for 15 weeks. Scholarships are available for GPs practising anywhere in Australia. Scholarship applications close February 7, 2009. Application pending for RACGP points. Contact Chandrani at the TMHC (02) 9840 3800 or the Administrator General Practice at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry (02) 9840 3833.

 

Extended Prescriptions and New Medicines - Some PBS prescriptions are now able to be prescribed by doctors for a 12 month period. Recent changes to the listings of medicines subsidised under the PBS will benefit people with ulcerative colitis, chronic pain, schizophrenia and diabetes.
The first medicines that can be prescribed this way include eye formulations for the treatment of severe dry eye syndrome, and sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. A new strength of mesalazine (Salofalk®) is also now available to treat ulcerative colitis, to allow for a once-daily dosage to assist patients who cannot tolerate the alternative treatment of sulfasalazine. PBS-listed Durotram XR for people suffering from chronic pain and the newly-listed form of quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel XR) for people with schizophrenia will provide the convenience of a once-daily dose regimen, rather than the current twice-daily regimen. The listing of insulin glulisine (Apidra) as a 10 mL injection vial will complement the 3 mL injection vial already available through the PBS and offer more options to people with diabetes.
More medicines will be added in December and January. Further information on the PBS.

 

Palliative Care Prescribing on PBS - The National Palliative Care Program is hoping to improve access to affordable medicines through the PBS for the many people who want to receive palliative care at home and who are unable to afford the medicines they need. The recent changes to the PBS mean that essential medications can now be subsidised.
All palliative care listings are 'Authority Required'. Initial authority requests can be approved for up to four months of therapy. The exception is for narcotics, where prescribers must heed State/Territory laws when prescribing drugs listed as narcotic, specified or restricted and must notify, or receive approval from, the appropriate health authority. Where subsequent authority is requested for continuing treatment, the provision of repeats is subject to confirmation that the ongoing care of the patient has been discussed with a palliative care physician and/or palliative care service. Please note the new palliative care section of the PBS is designed to be used in conjunction with the general listings section. Authority approvals can be obtained by phoning 1800 888 333 (General benefits) and 1800 552 580 (Repatriation benefits). More information.

 

Changes to the D800 claim for travelling expenses form - DVA has developed a new version of the D800 Claim for Travelling Expenses form. This form is used for veteran travel relating to treatment, a Disability Claim or an Income Support Claim. The new D800 has changes to its layout and a reduction in the number of visits from five to three. Some notable changes to the health provider section are as follows:

• treatment of a white card holder: this is now simply a yes/no question;

• a tick box has been included to indicate if the claimant is legally blind or suffering dementia; and

• space is provided for a person to sign on the health provider’s behalf

The new form is in circulation and it is preferred that this form be used for all future travel claims. Old versions of the form should be destroyed. Current form ordering arrangements apply and it is also available at www.dva.gov.au. For assistance, contact the DVA on 1300 550 454 (metropolitan) or 1800 550 454 (country).

 

Medicare Benefits Schedule - New Practice Nurse/Aboriginal Health Worker and Allied Health Items for People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Descent - As of November 1st, new practice nurse/Aboriginal health worker and allied health items have been added to the Medicare Benefits Schedule. These new items will allow people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who have had a health assessment to access Medicare benefits for follow-up services. Further details are available in Category 8 of the Medicare Benefits Schedule Book for 1 November 2008 and can be accessed through Medicare online. Fact sheets and referral forms are available. If you have any queries or would like hard copies please contact Kate at the Division.

 

HopSCOTCH- is a randomised trial of a new shared-care approach to managing obesity in 3-9 year-olds. GPs will share care with a specialist multidisciplinary team, supported by shared software. This approach has been designed by GPs and childhood obesity experts for GPs. Any questions, or if you’d like to join now, please contact Megan Mathers.

Chronic Disease Management News

Type 2 Diabetes Risk Evaluation (MBS Item 713) – NEW Resources - The Division now has available a range of resources to assist practices implementing the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Evaluation (MBS item 713). In addition to a template for completing item 713 the Division now has a laminated waiting room poster ‘Are you at risk of diabetes?’ and template letters that can be sent out to patients in the 40-49 age group. To obtain copies of these resources or to discuss how your practice could implement this new MBS item number please contact the Division.

Diabetes Prevention Programs for People Aged 40+ - Now Accepting Referrals - People aged 40+ years who are at high risk of diabetes can now be referred by their GP to local subsidised diabetes risk reduction programs. The group programs aim to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes, helping participants to make healthy lifestyle changes around physical activity, weight loss and nutrition. For information about local programs or how to refer patients please contact the Division.

 

GP research opportunity in coronary heart disease - Deakin, Monash and Swinburne Universities are currently conducting research into the effectiveness of an internet-based health information resource for improving physical and psychological wellbeing of patients with coronary heart disease. The researchers are looking for GPs to help recruit eligible patients through their practices. Participating GPs are eligible for 40 Category 1 CPD points for assisting in the project. For further information please contact Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz.

Immunisation News

2 Month Old Immunisations and Medicare Card - If an infant presents for 2 month old immunisations and the parent's Medicare card does not include the new infant, DO NOT delay the administration of the vaccines by waiting until an updated Medicare card is provided. Infants have a small window of opportunity (end of the 12th week) to be administered the RotaTeq vaccine orally otherwise they miss out on this vaccine completely. Pertussis containing vaccine needs to be commenced on time to provide some degree of protection as soon as possible.
The updated Medicare card on the next presentation will automatically link to the previous presentation so that the immunisation register (ACIR) will have a complete vaccine record for the infant. The 'automatic' link when the child is registered on Medicare is dependant upon the name details being the same between the original details with those registered on the Medicare card.

Amendments to Infectious Diseases Regulations - All GPs in Victoria are currently being sent a letter from the Communicable Disease Prevention & Control unit of DHS regarding the Health (Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. The amendments to the regulations are as follows:

• List varicella-zoster virus infection (chickenpox and herpes zoster) as a Group B notifiable disease.

• Add the collection of country of birth and if born overseas, year of arrival in Australia to Schedule 4 of the regulations.

• Amend the school exclusion table (schedule 6) for Influenza contacts to read ‘Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Secretary’.

The amendments will assist in the effective evaluation of the varicella vaccination program, result in the ability to better identify the health needs of new arrivals in Victoria, and improve the management of pandemic influenza in the school community, should a pandemic arise. Further information and a fact sheet are contained within the letter. It is also a timely reminder to GPs of their obligations in notifying cases of infectious diseases within Victoria. Further information on what and how to notify can be found on the IDEAS (Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Surveillance) website.