Bulletin - April, 2021
It's Vaccine Season!
If you've been in the building in the last few days, you'll have noticed that our new Flu/COVID vaccine fridge is now full to overflowing (maybe not overflowing...we've planned better than that)!
We've received the bulk of our private flu vaccines, as well as the bulk order of our government ones - just as exciting, as of Friday we received our FIRST COVID vaccines!
Our aim is to run the majority of vaccinations through the clinic model that has already been proposed:
- Patients requesting a COVID vaccine with us will need to pre-register through the practice web portal. While pre-registration is open to all, bookings are only being made for patients eligible for Phase 1b.
- Patients indicate which eligibility criteria they meet, then choose THREE (3) potential timeslots to receive their vaccine.
- When COVID stock arrives, patients will be booked into a clinic day by admin staff (staffed both by our nurses and a volunteering GP), and contacted both THREE (3) days ahead of their appointment to CONFIRM their eligibility and booking, AND once the day before to confirm their appointment. This will hopefully minimise waste of doses (our first batch is 10 x 8 dose vials).
- COVID clinics will likely only run on ONE (1) day a week, with the remaining volunteered sessions to be used for Flu Clinics. Given the disproportionate number of COVID to flu registrations, the flu clinics will likely be concluded within three weeks, thus freeing doctors up from their volunteer duties or potentially re-allocating them to additional COVID days (depending largely on how the vaccine volumes change as the rollout...rolls on).
- As much as possible, please encourage patients to pre-register for both COVID and FLU vaccines. This allows us to manage demand and supply as effectively as possible and ensure that patients are not left without vaccines at the time of their appointment. While occasional opportunistic vaccination for flu is fine, COVID vaccines should NOT be administered outside of the clinic setting.
The clinics begin from Tuesday, 13th April.
To ensure that we ALSO cover staff, we will be immunising EIGHT (8) staff per week until our full team (admin and clinical) have received both doses. The current recommendation is that:
- You receive a dose the day BEFORE you will not be at the practice (ie the day before a 'day off').
- To avoid wastage, all 8 staff will receive their doses on the same day for that group.
If you would like to volunteer, please contact me ASAP to be allocated a group and week. If you have received your vaccination elsewhere, please ALSO notify me!
COVID MBS Items
You will have also seen that the while the vaccination itself is without an item, billing for the COVID clinics is done as an 'eligibility assessment' item number (i.e. the item can be billed even if a vaccine is not delivered). While admin and nursing staff will do everything we can to 'screen' patients ahead of their appointment, there may still be patients who reveal a history of anaphylaxis or other ailment that may prevent them from receiving the vaccine on THAT day and time (including receiving a flu vaccine within 14 days of a COVID dose).
However, these items should be used in the context of appointments specifically related to the delivery of the vaccine (ie not an appointment made to discuss other clinical issues in which the COVID vaccine may be discussed generally).
The MBS items for COVID billing can be seen here:
| Item | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 93624 | COVID assessment | Used for a FIRST dose GIVEN |
| 93644 | COVID assessment | Used for a SECOND dose |
For a more comprehensive look at the MBS intricacies for the rollout, please click on the button below to review the DHHS document on the programme:
TeleHealth - Reminder
As we've now passed 12 months of COVID, we are also approaching 12 months of Telehealth services. As per the MBS, patients that have not physically attended the practice in the last TWELVE months are ineligible for a Medicare rebate for telehealth services.
While the 'in principle' regulation is that a pre-existing relationship is defined by attending the practice rather than an individual GP within 12 months, I appreciate that a telehealth appointment made with a GP who themselves may not have seen the patient is potentially dubious, and GPs should not feel obliged to provide telehealth under Medicare in that context.
DHHS' debt recovery and fraud department have indicated that they've noticed an increase in ineligible billings generally, so please check your patient's physical attendance if telehealth has been requested, and let admin staff ahead of time to contact them regarding the fees!
The End of an Era..
While it has been widely discussed and rumoured for some time, I can officially announce that David Lim has retired from general practice. While he will continue to play a role of directorship at CSMP, he will not be returning in a clinical capacity.
David's guidance and leadership of CSMP has seen a small single practitioner clinic under Alf Leopold expand into its current incarnation, while never succumbing to blind greed and maintaining the 'feel' and atmosphere of the traditional family general practice - something that has been sadly fading from the primary care landscape for several years.
Charismatic and (occasionally) controversial, he has nevertheless been the face and driving force behind CSMP for over 30 years - he has acted as a mentor and teacher to dozens of registrars and colleagues, many of whom joined the practice and were able to themselves enjoy both professional independence away from larger corporate environments, while also feeling the support and encouragement of David's lunchtime teaching sessions and infectious laughter (which could be heard through out the building, and occasionally at very inopportune times).
His work in chronic disease management as well in general practice education have both garnered recognition from professional associations and academic bodies, and point to work that he will be pursuing beyond his time as a general practitioner.
A more formal celebration of David's contributions to CSMP will be organised later in the year, but for now, I felt it was important to mark this occasion in some form and keep everyone up to date!
Coming Events...
- Doctors' Committee: Thurs, 22nd Apr, 1-2:30pm.
- Nurses' Meeting: Friday, 23rd Apr, 1-2pm
- Practice Lunch: Friday, 28th Apr, 1 - 2:30pm.
