Bulletin - December, 2022
20/22 - The Year in Review...
Well, as we approach the end of 2022, I thought it'd be nice to reflect on some of the work that happened this year:
- GPs at CSMP conducted 4135 vaccine assessments for first, second, third and fourth doses of COVID vaccines
- 10979 telehealth services have been performed
- 3332 GP management plans and reviews were conducted, as were 987 mental health care plans and reviews.
- The combined number of 3, 23, 36 and 44 services performed was 25649.
- It hailed one day in November and it looked like snow (see image for this month's bulletin).
At the same time, we've been able to 'open pop-up facilities' in Perth, Normanhurst and on occasion Leichhardt, Randwick and Coogee for both administrative staff and clinical, with potential for 'sites' in Brisbane next year - that is to say, that this year has not been without its share of challenges, and we will likely face more in the future.
Nevertheless, as we approach holidays, I wanted to thank everyone for everything this year; dealing with COVID was hard, but dealing with COVID and COVID fatigue has been a new problem unto itself. I hope that everytone is able to take some time over December and January to be with family and friends and to unwind - God knows you all deserve it. At the same time, I'm also grateful for those working through December while we move into 'skeleton crews' _ let's all hope for a quiet and reasonably uneventful Christmas!
RePrint...Shared Health Summaries and you...
As part of our PIP requirements, CSMP is required to upload a certain number of Health Summaries per quarter to qualify for the payments, which have been used to bolster our own IT infrastructure, amongst other things for the practice.
However, during COVID, this process has become less frequent, and we have fallen short a numberof times of meeting this quota. The video above outlines the process for the upload of the summaries, which has changed slightly since they were originally required in the earlier days of the rollout. It's suggested that you upload a new health summary when:
- A patient receives a vaccination
- A long-term medication is either ceased or added
- An allergy is recorded/no longer applies
Accessing the summary is simple enough - while in a patient file, press SHIFT and F9 (NB: the 'red box' the 'My Health Record' button often simply indicates that the record has not been accessed from this site). The video above walks you through the process of adding a new health summary!
To access other information from the record, push CRTL + F9!
Changes to MHCP Billing...
Today marks the first day of our changes for Mental Health Care Plan billings. There will need to be some consideration for the following:
- You'll need to ensure that you meet the minimum TIME requirements for either a 2715/2717, especially if ALSO billing alongside another attendance item (i.e. a 23/36, etc., not surgical items)
- The broader CSMP policy regarding Bulk Billing (i.e. pension/concession card holders, weekends) will still apply. Again, another lever to ensure that patients don't question getting help due to financial contraints.
- GPs will need to CLEARLY ARTICULATE billings when entering into BP (i.e. making sure that a patient that is to be bulk billed is marked in that fashion, equally so if they are to be privately billed).
The full details are as follows:
| Item Number | Fee | Rebate | Out-of-Pocket Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| New MHCP (2715, 92116 – 20+ mins) | $130 | $96.25 | $33.75 |
| New MHCP (2717, 92117 – 40 mins) | $175 | $141.80 | $33.20 |
| MHCP (2712, 92114, 92126 – Review) | $130 | $75.80 | $54.20 |
| EDP (90252, 92148 – 20+ mins) | $130 | $96.25 | $33.75 |
| EDP (90254, 92149 – 40 mins) | $175 | $141.80 | $33.20 |
| EDP (90264, 92170, 92176 – Review) | $130 | $75.80 | $54.20 |
As always, billing of these items will be subject to eligibility to ensure that patients are able to access sessions and rebates without incident! We are likely to experience some 'teething' issues as we transition to private billing these items, so please be patient!
What to expect while You're Expecting (the Problem with Patient 'no shows')...
With the decrease in available appointments over Christmas and into the New Year (in addition to less availabiilty to changes of hours, illness and staff departures), accessing appointments for patients has become more difficult - a problem that is even further compounded when other patients fail to attend their appointments.
While we have been somewhat lax in the past regarding cancellation fees (particularly when we've had our own issues with phones and technology), with many of these issues resolved and with patients having the ability to cacnel their own appointments online, we've now decided to re-visit our system for follow-up of late cancellations:
- Should a patient fail to attend an appointment, regardless of reason, they'll be sent the 'missed appointment WARNING' letter (see below):
- Having the document saved in the patient's file will allow a GP to better evaluate whether or not to charge the cancellation fee by having a quick check to see if they've been 'warned' before (rather than depending on a patient's 'recollection' of if a warning was issued).
- When admin cites the letter in file, a message will be sent to the GP to ask if they wish to charge or not following a non-attendance - this may not be until the end of the session, but GPs should expect a message in the event of a non-attendance AND if the letter has already been sent to the patient.
- At present, late cancellation fees are $30 for standard (15 min) appointments, or $50 for long (30 mins or more).
Speaking to this, the current policy regarding outstanding accounts is that a patient settles at the conclusion of their appointment. If they have:
- an outstanding account 30 days in arrears and/or
- an outstanding account of more than $100
they will be unable to book until the account is settled (this includes online requests for scripts/referrals). This is intended to avoid patients circumventing charges from one GP by seeing another with whom they may have a pre-existing fee arrangement in place, but also to reinforce that the care that you as GPs provide takes time, effort and care beyond what the current medicare rebate implies (and to discreetly reinforce the importance of continuity of care with the patient)!
Did You Check the MHR...? (RPT)
While we now have regular and generally reliable access to the National Cancer Screening Registry (NCSR) through Best Practice, a number of pathology providers have begun adding results into patient MHRs - notably Laverty, who have notoriously problematic staff manning the phones should you need to chase a result (record i 40+ mins followed by hanging up).
If you're looking for in-hospital pathology or other results for a patient, please check the MHR first before contacting reception to chase - it may save EVERYONE time!
Coming Events...
- CSMP Christmas Party - Sofitel from 12:30pm! - A note that gifts for Secret Santa should NOT be brought to the event! Please leave under the tree at 280 (which will go up on Friday)!
- Repairs and Updates - Dec/Jan - there are a handful of scheduled repairs and replacements expected to take place over the Dec/Jan period. If you need anything in your room to be checked/repaired, etc, please click HERE.
- Rolling Site Closures - Dec 2022 to Jan, 2023 - Due to the low numbers of staff working over the December/January period, the 276 site will be closed on a number of days:
- Thurs, 1st Dec
- Fri, 2nd Dec
- Tues, 6th Dec
- Fri, 9th Dec
- Thurs, 15th Dec
- Fri, 16th Dec
- Mon, 19th Dec
- Tues, 20th Dec
- Thurs, 22nd Dec
- Fri, 23rd Dec
- Wed 28th, Thurs, 29th and Fri 30th Dec
- Tues 3rd to Tues 17th Jan, 2023.
