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Timely News for Australian
 Medical Practice Managers

 
December 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Medical Directions would like to thank all our past and present clients for choosing us to assist them with their accreditation and/or setting up their new practice.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and safe holiday season and look forward to seeing and talking to you in the New Year.

Best wishes from Kathryn and the Team @ Medical Directions!
LATEST NEWS!

No Jab No Pay
As from 1 January 2016, parents who do not fully immunise their children will no longer be eligible for child care benefits/rebates or the Family Tax Benefit (Part A). This applies to children up to the age of 19 and as from 1 January 2016 practices will be able to submit the details of vaccinations given to persons aged under 20 years to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). The process for ordering catch-up vaccines will be the same as for other Commonwealth or state immunisation programmes ... read more

Healthy Kids Check Discontinued
As from 1 November 2015, the Healthy Kids Check item number was discontinued. GPs can still provide a health assessment service for a patient, including children, using existing MBS time-tiered general attendance items ... read more

Quality Improvement in General Practice
A reminder that all your GPs are required to complete at least one quality improvement (QI) activity for the current triennium.

Completion of one of the following activities satisfies the QI requirement:
  • Small group learning;
  • Supervised clinical attachment (SCA);
  • Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA);
  • Clinical audit;
  • GP research;
  • Evidence-based medicine journal club; or
  • A quality reflection following attendance at any category 1 active learning module (ALM)
Changes to RACGP Fellowship Exams
The RACGP will be offering more support and guidance for candidates in their Fellowship exam preparation by publishing documents with the following information:
  • advice on exam preparation
  • hints and tips
  • frequently asked questions 
  • explanation of assessment procedures ... read more
New GP Mental Health Plan Template
A new Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) template has been developed by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) together with the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) and incorporates parenting and child needs ... read more

Tick Bite Prevention Information
The Department of Health, together with the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee, have rewritten a tick bite prevention paper: "Preventing and Treating Tick Bites" ... read more

Fair Work - "My Account"
Did you know that you can register for "My Account" on the Fair Work website so you can get priority support; save Awards and searches; view tailored information; etc ... read more

Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) Online
The 1 December 2015 MBS data files (XML, DOC, PDF and ZIP) are now available to download.
Read more on the MBS Online website.

Did you know that ... 
babies are at greatest risk of contracting whooping cough (pertussis) until they have had at least two doses of the vaccine (aged four months), as their mother's antibodies do not provide reliable protection. 

About one in 200 babies under the age of six months who contract whooping cough will die from pneumonia or brain damage.

Some important facts for pregnant women:
  • Whooping cough vaccination at 28 weeks is the best way to protect your baby until their first vaccinations at six weeks of age
  • Whooping cough vaccine is free for pregnant women in their third trimester
  • Your baby will still need the whooping cough vaccine at six weeks
  • Whooping cough is serious and potentially life threatening 
To find out more about the symptoms and prevention of whooping cough ... read more

TOP TIP FOR ACCREDITATION
Our clinical team prescribes, dispenses and administers appropriate medicines safely to informed patients.
  • Patients need to understand the purpose and importance of medicines, to assist them to comply with a recommended treatment plan
  • GPs need access to current information on medicines to enable best practice prescribing
  • Patients need accurate and current medication lists
Information resources for consumers
Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) can assist patients in understanding their medicines. Where patients cannot understand written language or where information is not available in the patient's language, the use of pictorial media or translators may be appropriate. It is particularly important that patients understand the difference between generic drugs and trade named drugs so dosage problems are avoided.

The use of Therapeutic Guidelines is now considered standard practice ...read more
 
ACCREDITATION - ARE YOU READY?

Is your practice's Accreditation coming up this year?
Medical Directions can help to identify areas of your practice that may need improving by guiding you through the Accreditation process and assisting in implementing any changes that may be necessary. 
We offer a full Accreditation Package which includes onsite visits and ongoing consultation via phone, Skype 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.


KNOWNOW! TIP

Practice Managers - did you know there is information for employers on knowNOW! under Non-Clinical/Administration e.g. links to the Awards that your staff are covered by.

Haven't seen how knowNOW! works yet? Then sign up today to receive one 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 DECEMBER?

RECIPE OF THE MONTH  
 
Cauliflower Biscuits
If you don't usually eat cauliflower, try this new way of eating it!

 

Ingredients
  • 700 grams cauliflower florets
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½  cup almond flour
  • 2 eggs
  • ½  cup fully cooked bacon, chopped  
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½  tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
  • ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
Method
  • Preheat the oven to 205ºC
  • Using a food processor shred the cauliflower
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
  • Sauté the shredded cauliflower with the jalapeño, bacon and spices for about 7 minutes - should be softened and slightly translucent
  • Remove from heat and stir in the eggs, yeast and almond flour
  • Scoop the mixture into small muffin trays
  • Bake the at 205ºC for 35-40 minutes or until browned and crispy
  • Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
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.
The Paleo Place
The Sunshine Coast's favourite Paleo Cafe - come in and pick up a ready-made meal!

We are open for breakfast and lunch with a selection of delicious Paleo meals, snacks, desserts, juices, smoothies and coffee available. Coffee, fresh squeezed juices and smoothies are available daily from 7:00am and meals from 7:30am. 

Find out more ... www.thepaleoplace.com.au
Kathryn Davis
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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