Bulletin - October, 2021
...and Pfizer for All
As we approach our seventh month of vaccinations for COVID, we oddly enough find ourselves at the precipice yet again. After having successfully delivered almost 3000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine (or Vaxveria if you feel like rolling your eyes), we began administering Pfizer vaccines on the same day the the eligibility criteria changed to allow patients aged 12-15 to receive their vaccines, expecting a wave of tweens to (be) book(ed in by their parents) to finally give some degree of comfort with the return to face-to-face teaching imminent.
After 3 weeks, the demand for Pfizer's Cominarty vaccine (an uncomfortable amalgamation of the term 'mRNA' and the word 'Community' for anyone still curious) has dropped almost as sharply as the demand for AstraZeneca did some 2 months ago. While this may surprise some, the truth is that based on the demographic data from NSW Health and the Commonwealth roll-out, this is a good thing:
In short, this is a reflection of the fact that within the postcode, almost 80% of eligible patients have received at least one vaccine, with the rate of completed vaccination schedule at roughly 60-69%.
This is welcome news, and should help relieve some anxieties about the imminent easing of restrictions currently expected around 11th Oct.
However, the coming months will likely see an increase in the overall number of cases of COVID as interactions increase, but if the vaccination number stay high, a plateau in hospitalisations and an overall reduction in deaths - in other words, the tone should be cautious optimism as we move forward.
...and clinics for...some?
Naturally, with the reduction in overall demand and little indication that children under 12 will be eligible to receive a vaccine until December at the earliest, we'll be scaling back the number of COVID clinics offered by CSMP. In some cases, this will mean a merging of Dose 1 and 2 clinics (not unlike what has happened by coincidence at this point).
The main point is that we will NOT be running Dose 1 Pfizer or AZ clinics from 6th October onwards; Dose 2 clinics will be continue as scheduled, with occasional variation should the need arise. To view the full roster, please click on the button below to download the file:
From Pfizer to Pforms...
As a result of the overall uncertainty that the last 18 months have presented us, many of you have either postponed leave, radically altered your work schedules, or tried the dreaded 'Work From Home'. At the same time, the workload has in no way reduced over this time, and if anything, the strange patient expectation that a telehealth appointment and a face-to-face appointment are somehow not the same thing (i.e. an agreed upon time in which patient and doctor are both available for a consultation) has lead to an increase in demands. To streamline a couple of things, I've modified the Change of Routine form with two new options:
- REINSTATE SESSIONS - for use when your holiday destination is more than 5kms away form your LGA when another lock down occurs (or if general circumstances change).
- CLOSE BOOKS - perhaps more useful, particularly given that waiting times for patients either regular or new has blown out for some to up to 4 weeks. The option allows for this to be a temporary arrangement until you feel comfortable in taking on new patients.
Neither of these options (or a form for that matter) solve some of the underlying pressures that you are all facing, but I'm hopeful that we can collectively address these pressures as the COVID situation evolves.
On the subject of which, the official lockdown in NSW will end on 11th October. This means that the 12 month rule for telehealth (i.e. one physical visit in 12 months to qualify for medicare-rebatable telehealth) will come back in to effect from Monday, 11th October.
...and more Pforms...
Our accreditation is due to for review in November - while I'm grateful to everyone for their prompt submission of documents earlier in the year, many of those have now expired and so will therefore need to be resubmitted.
We unfortunately missed our window earlier in the year due to COVID and a number of other factors. To submit your documents, please click on the relevant button below:
Last Thing...
With the changes to telehealth imminent, it's vital that if you need to modify or change a billing that you have entered, you send a message to A - RECEPTION to make that change - please do NOT leave handwritten notes.
Likewise, please remember that if you do NOT wish to see a patient, check the requirements in the Denial of Service document - click HERE to view!
Coming Events...
- CSMP Christmas!: We are still working on details for this year's event, including both venue and even if it will proceed. As always, we'll be running a Secret Santa as well.
If you'd like to opt OUT, please let me know!
- Doctors' Committee: Thursday, 14th October - 1-2:30pm. Agenda TBC, meeting via Microsoft Teams.
- Nurses' Meeting: Friday, 15th October - 1-2pm.
- Practice Lunch: Friday, 22nd October - 1-2:30pm
