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Timely News for Australian
 Medical Practice Managers


March 2015
LATEST NEWS!

Government Dumps GP Co-Payment
The government has announced that it has axed the $5 cut to the Medicare rebate - Prime Minister, Tony Abbott declared the co-payment "dead, buried and cremated."  
Read the transcript of what the AMA president had to say about the dumping of the co-payment.

Hepatitis A Linked to Frozen Berries
As of 4 March, there were 26 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A linked to the consumption of frozen berries. 

The Department of Health has the following resources available on their website:
Cleaning Up After After a Cyclone
In the aftermath of the cyclones and storms Australia has been experiencing the Health Department is warning people to be vigilant when cleaning up and to use insect repellent and protective clothing. Receding water and pools of water are common places for mosquitoes to breed - common signs of mosquito-borne diseases are:
  • headache
  • fever
  • joint or muscle pain
  • skin rash
  • fatigue
  • nausea

Work Health and Safety Laws

While it's important for employers to be prepared for the threat of a natural disaster, it is also important to be mindful of Work Health and Safety obligations when cleaning up after a storm - WorkCover Queensland has some useful information on their website regarding cleaning up after a storm ... read more

 

Medication Advice Following Cyclone Marcia

Emergency arrangements with Pharmacists have been put in place in areas affected by the cyclone to ensure patients have access to their essential medicines. "Under the three day emergency rule a patient can receive a three day supply of medication without a prescription," Queensland's Chief Health Officer said last week ... read more

 

Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) Online

The 1 January 2015 MBS data files (ASCII and XML) have been amended to reflect changes to descriptors of items 3, 23, 52, 53, 5000, 5020, 5200, 5203, 82200 and 82205 from 19 January 2015 - the files are now available to download on the MBS Online website ... read more.

Did you know..... 
that over one billion young people are at risk of damaging their hearing from listening to loud music!

The World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted a study of people aged between 12 and 35 and found that nearly half were at risk of damage to their hearing. 

WHO reported that people who listen to loud music (higher than 85 decibels) for more than 15 minutes per day could be causing themselves serious damage in a relatively short time ... 
read more

TOP TIP FOR ACCREDITATION
Contingency Plans
Your practice needs to have a contingency plan in the event of a natural disaster that may interrupt normal patient care.

Reference: Criterion 3.1.2 Clinical risk management systems
Our practice has clinical risk management systems to enhance the quality and safety of our patient care

There are some useful resources on the RACGP website:
 
ACCREDITATION - ARE YOU READY?

Accreditation is one of the best ways to identify areas of your practice that may need improving - is your accreditation due this year?
If so, 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.


TIPS FOR KNOWNOW!

As with all your passwords, it's always a good idea to change your password from time-to-time. 
It is easy to change your password on knowNOW! Log-in - Click on the 'cog' symbol in the toolbar (next to the log-out box) - Click 'Change password.'


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 MARCH?

RECIPE OF THE MONTH  
 
Zucchini Spaghetti
Simple but yummy!
 
 









Ingredients  

3-4 zucchini

12 cherry tomatoes

Handful of pine-nuts

1 garlic clove - chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon 

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped basil

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper


Method 

Spiralise the zucchini or cut into very thin strips

Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and garlic in a pan

Add the zucchini and nuts and lightly toss until zucchini softens

Add lemon zest, juice, parsley, basil and cheese

Add salt and pepper to taste


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