Practices will be notified by their State or Territory Health Department when they can place orders for the 2013 Flu Vaccination Program.
Currently the Australian government offers free flu vaccines to:
- People aged 65 years old and over
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People from 15 years old
- Pregnant women
- People over six months of age with one or more of the following conditions:
- heart disease
- severe asthma
- chronic lung condition
- chronic illness requiring medical follow-up or hospitalisation in the past year
- diseases of the nervous system
- impaired immunity
- diabetes
- Children aged six months to 10 years old who are on long-term aspirin therapy
General Practice Immunisation Incentive (GPII)
The GPII will be discontinued from 1 May 2013. This will mean a reduction in incentive payments where other processes already exist to improve immunisation. The practice level reports will also cease.
GPs will continue to have access to the ACIR information payment when they notify ACIR of completed vaccinations and will still be able to log-on to the ACIR website to access patient's immunisation history.
MMR and Varicella Vaccine
A new combined MMR and Varicella Vaccine (MMRV) will be introduced into the standard immunisation schedule from July for children aged 18 months of age.
Further information will be provided nearer the time.
Fully Immunised Calculation
From 1 July 2013, Meningococcal C, Conjugate Pneumococcal and Varicella Vaccines will be included in the "fully immunised" calculation for a child's immunisation status.
This means that practices should ensure that the ACIR is notified so that parents are eligible for their Family Tax Benefit.
The Australian Immunisation Handbook - 10th Edition
The 10th Edition Australian Immunisation handbook will be released later this year... read more
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PIP Quality Prescribing Incentive
Practices registered for the PIP Quality Prescribing Incentive (QPI) should check their quarterly payment advice. To qualify for a payment through the PIP QPI, practices are required to participate in three activities from 1 May to 30 April per FTE GP per year ...
read more
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ACCC Allows GPs to Set Practice Prices
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced it would formally allow individual GPs working in shared practices to set prices and collectively bargain ...
read more___________________________________________________________
MBS Online
The 1 March 2013 MBS files are now available to download ...read more
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Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions Video
The RACGP, in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, has developed a short video on how electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP) works in daily practice ... read more
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RACGP Computer and Information Security Standards
There are specific requirements for computer and information security in general practice which are covered in the RACGP's Computer and Information Security Standards (CISS).
The RACGP is currently undertaking a review of the CISS which will include information to assist practices to develop policies relating to PCEHR ...
read more
Education Seminars - Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) -
Are you ready to respond to your patient's questions?
The RACGP will be running seminars across Australia for GPs and their practice team regarding the eHealth record system ... read more
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Telehealth ALM Workshop Presentations - GP12 October 2012
If you missed the telehealth presentations by Dr Nathan Pinskier, Dr Sue Page and Janelle Jakowenko at the GP12 on the Gold Coast, you can now now view them online.
The presentations will:
- take you through the equipment and technology you need to get started in telehealth video consultations
- provide a demonstration of video conferencing in action
- help you manage change to integrate video consultations into your practice
- explain the relevant MBS item numbers and incentive payments and the eligibility for these incentives and how to ensure the sustainability of telehealth in your practice
You can watch the entire presentations or just select the parts you want to see using the chapters menu on the right hand side of the screen:
