New Guidelines - Abuse and Violence

The RACGP has recently published the 4th edition of Abuse and Violence: working with our patients in general practice (White Book). You can find a link to this on knowNOW! under Clinical/Doctors/Clinical Guidelines.

PBS Orders

A reminder that GPs now need to download a fillable order form for prescription pads and post it into the Department of Human Services. Handwritten orders for personalised prescription books will not be processed and will be returned to the prescriber ... read more

For prescriber bag supplies (previously known as emergency treatment supplies and/or doctor's bag supplies) GPs need a 'Prescriber Bag Supplies Order Book'. To order the 2014-16 book, complete the form Request for book of emergency treatment supply forms for approved practitioners (2014-16) which is located in the Emergency Treatment Supplies Order Book 2012-14. If your GPs don't have the current copy of the Emergency Treatment Supplies Order Book, phone 132 290 (option 2).
 

Your iPhone Could Become Your Doctor!

Latest research by 'Roy Morgan Research' shows that smart phones will soon be used to monitor health issues. Already being used for personal training, research suggests that there will be an App to help diagnose health problems and soon people will be using them as much as they use them for their banking and social lives. 

Tim Martin, GM-Media from Roy Morgan Research says that it would seem Apple may have the potential edge when it comes to connecting to health-conscious consumers ... read more 

Have you seen Apple's 'chicken fat' advertisement on television showing how people are using their iPhones for personal training? Click here to watch it! 

General Practice Accreditation Survey

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) would like your feedback on the general practice accreditation process. Have your say by completing the anonymous online survey which has been extended until 15 August ... read more 

Adjustment to Previously Paid Bulk Bill Claims

Requests for adjustments to previously paid bulk bill claims must be made within two years of the original claim. From 2 June 2014 new processes apply to:

• Omitted bulk bill incentive or Patient Episode Initiation (PEI) items
• Requesting an adjustment to an item for a previously paid bulk bill claim

Read more about the bulk bill claim adjustments and late lodgements.

Ebola Virus Outbreak

While over 700 people have died from the Ebola Virus in Africa over the past four months, Australia's Chief Health Officer, Professor Chris Baggoley says that the risk of the virus spreading to Australia is very low. Professor Baggoley said that a person would need to have been in contact with a sick or dead animal or have cared for a severely ill person ... read more

Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) Online

The 1 August 2014 Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) (ASCII, XML, DOC, PDF, ZIP) files are now available to download ... read more
 

Click here for the Medical Benefits Schedule Book which shows changes which came into effect from 1 July 2014.

The surveyors will ask to see evidence that your administration staff have had training relevant to their role in the practice. 

This training can include formal courses or can be 'on-the-job' training provided by other staff members. It is particularly important that administration staff receive triage training so they can recognise when there is a medical emergency and prioritise appointments.

Administration staff also need to have CPR training at least every three years - this can be conducted by clinical staff within the practice or through an accredited training provider.

Handy Hint: Use the Training Register on knowNOW! under Accreditation/Training to keep a record of all your staff training - if you need help using this please contact support@knownow.com.au.

Click here to register for your FREE 30 Day trial of knowNOW!