7 JULY 2017
AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT MEDICAL PUBLICATION I www.australiandoctor.com.au
INTERVENTION HOW TO TREAT
Dr Emil Djakic on his
time in the NT
Opinion, page 32 Myocarditis
Earn CPD
points online
Pharmacy path push
But GPs may have to deal with the fallout
It would be
appropriate for GPs
to follow-up and
manage the patient
— irrespective
of whether a
pharmacist had
ordered the test, said
Dr Sara Bird.
a “comprehensive general health
screening”.
The most expensive test will
include HbA1c, total cholesterol,
HDL, LDL, triglycerides, FBC,
iron studies, LFT and a kidney
function test (urea electrolytes and
creatinine).
The AMA dubbed it “opportun-
istic, wasteful and bordering on
irresponsible”, with patients facing
unnecessary costs.
But Amcal senior pharmacist
James Nevile said pharmacists
were screening patients before
ordering tests to make sure the
tests are appropriate.
“The pharmacist may say ‘see
your GP’. Some patients will do
that, but some may prefer to do it
there themselves,” he said.
Mr Nevile said patients were
accessing inappropriate, expensive
tests online, such as PSA testing,
and it was better for pharmacists
to offer pre-paid pathology rather
than online vendors providing
them. If the results required urgent
EXCLUSIVE
A doctor’s nightmare
attention, the pathologist would
either contact the patient or the
patient’s regular GP, he added.
His comments raised concern
among GPs, particularly over
their legal obligations if abruptly
brought into the care loop.
GP obligations would depend on
the specific circumstances, said Dr
Sara Bird, a medicolegal adviser at
MDA National. The tests offered
could throw up a variety of results
requiring urgent attention, such as
hepatitis, acute renal failure, severe
anaemia, neutropaenia or throm-
bocytopaenia, she said.
In many situations, it would be
appropriate for GPs to follow-up
and manage the patient — irre-
spective of whether a pharmacist
had ordered the test, she said.
cont’d page 4
ANTONY SCHOLEFIELD
PHARMACIES are charging
patients up to $220 for pathology
screening tests for kidney, thyroid
and liver function under a new
push into preventive healthcare.
The scheme, which is backed
by the Royal College of Patholo-
gists of Australasia (RCPA) but
has angered GPs, is the result of a
deal between the Amcal pharmacy
chain and pathology giant Sonic
Healthcare.
Amcal announced last week
that patients were buying the tests
in “bundles” so they could be
screened for diabetes, heart health,
fatigue and general health.
Because no Medicare rebates can
be claimed, prices range from $25
for a simple HbA1c test performed
in the pharmacy to $219.50 for
“I THINK this will escalate at some stage and he may come up
with a gun or knife and try to kill me,” says Dr Munjed Al Muderis.
He shifts in the chair, hands clasped in front of him. His face
hardens. “But I am prepared for that and I don’t have any fear.”
Dr Al Muderis is talking about Gerardo Mazzella, a former
patient he will never refer to by name during his interview with
Australian Doctor.
See News Review, page 11, for full story
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