Bulletin - January, 2023
2023 - Welcome Back...
And so it begins - another year! I trust that everyone enjoyed that 15 minutes of respite before things went straight back to (the current NSW Health version of) normal!
But before we really do launch back into the swing of things, a warm congratulations to Ran Liu and Anastasya Lonergan (pictured), who tied the knot in December! We're all hoping that now Ran has someone to come home to it'll encourage him to run a little closer to time - but jokes aside, we're all thrilled for them both and wish you both the best as you begin your lives together!
Something old, Something New...
Following on from last month's Doctors' Committee, review of Iron Infusions, the following (practical) changes are being implemented:
- Iron infusions will now be booked as 15 minutes with the GP, coinciding with 60 mins with the nurse for supervision. The 15 minute GP slot should be for the completion of both the patient consent AND the medication order, as well as the setting of the cannula.
- When billing, please choose the billing type of either Iron Concession (MBS item + $50) or Iron Standard (MBS item + $100).
- If yourself or admin are unable to find a suitable time when everything lines up, please complete the consent AND the medication order prior to the patient's appointment, for the nurse to then bill item number IRON for time spent and equipment.
More broadly, there will be a review of the overall protocol beyond simply billing, but these changes have already come into effect!
Changes to Billing Practices...
Firstly, don't panic - this isn't an overreach from the Service Provider instructing GPs how and what they should be billing; rather, this is a reminder of your rights and obligations as providers given the changes to practice policy on certain billings.
As you'll recall, MHCP billings are no longer bulk-billed by default, as these can now be privately billed (a side-note: admin bill these through PayPal post-consult to avoid potentially triggering rebate failures and to enable corrections to notations if/when necessary). Given this change, it is now more important than ever that GPs are explicit and accurate when billing patients to ensure that the direction to bulk or privately bill a patient are clear at the conclusion of the consult. On a similar note, please do not indicate 'usual billing' in the notes to reception, for precisely this reason.
There'll be further discussion regarding the private fee for the 2712 and telehealth equivalent, as the schedule fee is closer to the level C (MBS 36) fee than the level B (MBS 23). Please feel free to override the default values if you feel so inclined! For reference, the current fees are below:
| 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 |
Your Room with A View...
Given the departure of clinical staff at the conclusion of 2022 and the incoming staff for 2023, there are a handful of room changes this year. The allocation is based on:
- Number of years based at CSMP
- Number of sessions requested/allocated
While we try to minimise movement between rooms as much as possible, occasionally it is unavoidable. Your allocated room can be seen in the 7am slot within the appointment book in Best Practice, but the overview can be downloaded by clicking the button below. (NB: these rooms are subject to change, but we try and give as much notice as possible on the day!):
Consent for Telehealth Consults (or 'How Medicare tried to close Pandora's box')...
A number of GPs will have seen that the MBS documentation regarding the extension of Telehealth implied that the requirement for consent would revert from verbal to written from 31st December for all bulk-billed telehealth services.
From a practical standpoint, this would NOT affect:
- patients requesting (or switching to) telehealth
- patients contacting CSMP via our web portal to request follow-up of results
- patients being privately billed for telehealth services (both rebated and ineligible).
However, this would affect GP-initiated results follow-up (i.e GPs contacting patients when a result was returned either normal or otherwise). Indicating that '[you] would contact' the patient is insufficient, and consent would need to be acquired prior to the telehealth consult, but not at the time of the original attendance.
Medicare has reinstated the temporary COVID measure of verbal consent for telehealth; there has been no reason provided as to why the return to written consent was abandoned, but it is worth noting that the term 'temporary' still remains in the MBS notes, meaning that the requirement may return at some point in the future.
We have considered a handful of ways of acquiring written consent for these results consults, which frankly are a vital part of a functioning general practice. These will be discussed at the February Doctors' Committee meeting, but it's worth noting that we should be prepared for a change at some point in the future, and to consider practices around telehealth in preparation for such a change.
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...
- Australia Day Public Holiday - Thursday, 26th January - we'll be closed for the Public Holiday!
- Nursing Services - Jan/Feb - there will be nursing shortages throughout January; please be advised that results and 'nurse to advise' results may take longer than usual!
- Rolling Site Closures - Jan, 2023 - a reminder that site closures are ongoing throughout January while GPs are on annual leave!
- Changes of Routine/Notifications of Leave - please remember to send these through the appropriate portals and complete accurately (if away for 3 or more WORKING days, NOTIFICATION of LEAVE, if 2 or fewer OR adding/modifying sessions, CHANGE of ROUTINE). Confirmation will be sent through Teams!
