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Timely News for Australian
 Medical Practice Managers

September 2014
LATEST NEWS!

GPCE Brisbane: 12-14 September 2014
See me at the General Practitioner Conference & Exhibition (GPCE) in Brisbane! I am presenting 'Protecting Your Practice Team Through Clinical Governance' at the following times:
  • Friday 12 September @ 3:45pm-4:45pm
  • Saturday 13 September @ 8:30am-9:30am
  • Sunday 14 September @ 10:15am-11:15am
Come and say hello - I look forward to seeing you there! Kathryn

Medicare Health Assessments - Latest Update
Medicare health assessments provided by GPs may be delivered using Medicare items 701 to 707 (the general, time-tiered health assessment items) and 715 (the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Assessment) ... read more

Pandemic Flu Kit
A Pandemic Flu Kit which has been developed by the RACGP is available on their website to assist general practices to manage the impact of pandemic influenza. The resources include:

These and other resources such as posters can be found on the RACGP website.

 

Infection Prevention and Control Standards

Many of you maybe wondering what has changed in the 5th edition of the Infection Prevention and Control Standards which were released recently - the RACGP has released a list of the changes ... read more

 

New Atrial Fibrillation Resource

A new resource produced by the National Stroke Foundation has been launched to assist patients who suffer with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) to better understand their condition ... read more

 

Standards for Providing Quality Palliative Care for All Australians

Palliative Care Australia first produced the Standards for Providing Quality Palliative Care for all Australians back in 1994. The Standards have been reviewed three times since and Palliative Care Australia has commenced another review and have invited all Health and Aged Care Professionals to give feedback ... read more

 

Review of After Hours Service Delivery

Professor Claire Jackson will carry out an independent review of afterhours primary health services in Australia. Professor Jackson will begin the review immediately and provide advice and recommendations to the government by the end of October. Existing arrangements for afterhours care will continue until 30 June 2015 when new funding arrangements will be transitioned ... read more 

 

New Online Forums to Support People Living with Mental Illness

The Minister for Health has recently launched two new online forums to support people living with mental illness and their family and friends. One is for carers and one for people living with mental illness ... read more

 

Ebolavirus Disease (EVD)

On 8 August the World Health Organisation announced that the outbreak of EVD in West Africa meets the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. There are several information resources available for travellers and health professionals on the Department of Health website ... 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

Did you know..... 
that children aged less than five years have the highest incidence of invasive meningococcal disease and the disease can develop very quickly. 

Symptoms can include fever, extreme tiredness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea so can easily be confused with the flu or stomach bug ... read more

TOP TIP FOR ACCREDITATION
The presence of a third party observing or being involved in clinical care during a consultation occurs only with the prior consent of the patient

Patients must be asked to provide consent for the presence of a third party before the consultation commences. It is not acceptable to ask permission once the patient is in the consulting room so ideally consent should be sought at the time of making the appointment or if not when the patient arrives at reception.

Thirds parties include interpreters, carers, relatives, friends, allied health or nursing students, registrars or chaperones. In circumstances where the GP feels more comfortable if there is a chaperone present, the appropriate consent needs to obtained from the patient. 
 
ACCREDITATION - ARE YOU READY?

Accreditation is one of the best ways to identify areas of your practice that may need improving. 

Medical Directions can help by guiding you through the Accreditation process and assisting in implementing any changes. 

We offer a full Accreditation Package which includes onsite visits and ongoing consultation via phone and email. 

Other ways we can help ...
  • Create a new Policy and Procedure Manual to comply with the 4th Standards
  • Set up your new practice and assist with purchasing equipment
  • Orientation of new GPs to your practice 
  • Staff training in Best Practice and Medical Director
  • Practice Manager mentoring
  • Treatment Room policies and procedures
Medical Directions can help in lots of ways! Let us customise a package to suit your practice. Click here to find out more about our Consulting Services or visit our website.

WHAT'S NEW IN KNOWNOW!

Staff Rosters/Leave Allocation
Just a reminder that you can add a section to your knowNOW! to keep track of your staff rosters and leave - please email support@knownow.com.au to find out more.


Please email support@knownow.com.au at any time for assistance or if you have any queries.
 

Sign up today to receive a month's free trial of knowNOW! and once you realise how much it will help your practice it's just $38.95 per month which includes unlimited users! 

WHAT'S ON IN SEPTEMBER?

RECIPE OF THE MONTH  
 
Baked Brie with Pecans
This makes a greater starter to your dinner party! 
 
Ingredients  

1 packet of brie (or camembert can be used)

½ cup of pecan nuts

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup


Method 

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Place the cheese in a baking dish lined with baking paper.

Bake until softened - approx 15 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate and cool.


Place nuts on some baking paper and bake until toasted and fragrant - approx 10 minutes.

Sprinkle nuts over the cheese.

 

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and maple syrup and bring to the boil over a low heat.

Simmer until frothy- approx 1-2 minutes.

Drizzle over cheese and nuts.

Serve with crackers or toasted bread.


ENJOY! 

If you have a favourite recipe that you would like to share, please send it to chris@medicaldirections.com.au and we'll include it in our newsletter.
Kathryn Davis
Is there someone else in your practice that would like to receive our newsletter? Just click 'Subscribe Now' at the bottom of this newsletter and sign them up too! Or if you currently get our newsletter at work and would also like to receive it at home, we can add your home email address to the distribution list.

I would love to hear your feedback on my newsletters or if you have a story to share or a question to ask please email me.
 
Until next time ... take care!
Kath Signature PNG  

P: 1300 978 897 | E: kathryn@medicaldirections.com.au | W: www.medicaldirections.com.au


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