Current Media

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has posted a reminder to GP’s to discuss linking advance care plans with My Health Record when providing ‘catch-up’ care to older patients who are coming in to receive flu vaccines and winter health checks. The article emphasises that these winter health appointments are an ideal time to discuss advance care planning with patients and to let them know they can upload their advance care directive and details of their advanced care directive custodian to their My Health Record.

Removal of the 7-day restriction on pathology reports for respiratory pathology tests, like influenza, on the My Health Record. Rochford noted that the change will help support quicker responses to confirmed cases of the flu and other respiratory illnesses and highlighted that the change was made as a direct result to address the significant the number of influenza cases this winter.

Hospital and Healthcare has an article on the RAGCP’s welcoming response to the deferral of planned telehealth compliance rules following the announcement that the federal government will be postponing until at least September this year (a) the reintroduction of the existing 80/20 rule (amended to include video, telephone as well as face-to-face GP consultations) and (b) the implementation of a new 30/20 rule for phone services. However, the RAGCP stated that general practice teams are busier than ever and called for the reinstatement of rebates for longer telehealth phone consults noting that high rates of community transmission of COVID-19 and influenza as well as other viruses mean that many patients are still accessing care via telehealth. And for most patients, particularly those not confident using video technology, consultations via phone are the preferred option.

Prime 7 Tamworth featured a report on the expiration of Medicare rebates for 128 telehealth items under new Medicare funding introduced this financial year. The segment quotes medical professionals who say it will have a negative impact for patients in regional due to doctor shortages. Noting that telehealth appointments will still be available by video conference, but many rural and remote communities do not have access to technology or telecommunications

Cybersecurity concerns around digital health systems, writing that transmitting health information and maintaining patient records digitally is now a mainstay of the medical industry and these systems have become a lucrative target for cybercriminals.

Pulse+IT writes that WA Health is planning to replace the use of Microsoft SharePoint in handling external referrals into its public hospitals with a new solution, called Smart Referrals WA (SRWA). The new solution will see general practices, private specialists referring into public outpatient services and Aboriginal Medical Services use a contemporary, automated system. The solution will go through a design and build phase before being piloted in 2023 and rolled out between 2024 and 2025.

Official name change of Australia’s federal Department of Health to the Department of Health and Aged Care. The name was changed by the new government to reflect their priorities for the department and the importance of aged care to the community.

There is a new device that helps people with diabetes monitor and respond to their blood glucose levels overnight. The benefits of accessible health teach and health data gathered on the fluctuation in people’s everyday lives, allows people access to tailored medical care and it also give robust data sets that researchers can use.