Have You Heard?
Where to now, Superclinics?
We were told that putting GP clinics alongside EDs was going to save millions( by cost shifting to the Commonwealth?) and relieve overburdened EDs. Not really, according to a study published in the MJA last month that looked at 2009-11 ED attendances at Freo Hospital, Charlies and RPH. Researchers say the AIHW figures were flawed as they considered urgency status( ED triage scale) instead of complexity, as judged by them. As a consequence, estimated GP-type attendances dropped from 25 % to 11 %. They concluded that After-hours GP clinics, superclinics and polyclinics fill service gaps but have minimal effects on ED attendances. The AIHW has since announced that it is reviewing its research methodologies, including consultation with some of the researchers who contributed to the MJA article.
Test may reduce overdose
Risk profiling through genetic testing is highlighted by a press release Medical
Forum received for DNAdose testing out of Melbourne under clinical geneticist A / Prof Les Sheffield. He suggested the test could reduce drug overdose deaths in Victoria, which outnumber road accident deaths. GenesFX markets the test for genetic markers for ultrarapid metabolisers of codeine derivatives(< 10 % of the population), or of antidepressants( enzyme CYP2D6), or slow metabolisers of tranquillisers( 20 % of the population) who are prone to overdose. It costs $ 270 each test and Healthscope Advanced Pathology is involved.
All in together
Web marketing of practices is hotting up with a report that IPN is unhappy with Primary Health Care’ s marketing of its 1800 Bulk Bill website, which lists this group’ s bulk billing practices, based on a location search. And if you type“ Primary Care Practices in Perth CBD” into Health Engine you now get a collection of physiotherapists, GPs afterhours, chiropractors, Chinese
medicine practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists and nurse practitioner clinics. With Dr Marcus Tan as CEO, and the injection of funds from Seven West Media and Telstra, it appears Health Engine has moved from primarily listing medical practitioners.
Big Guns gun for polio
The Australian Government responded to lobbying from Global Poverty Project’ s Australian Director, Samah Hadid and pitched in $ 80m for worldwide polio eradication. Microsoft billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates was close by. The Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 also had Canadian and UK Governments contributing, and The Bill Gates Foundation was chipping in a US $ 1.8 billion, with US $ 5.5 billion calculated to end this disease worldwide by vaccinating in hard-to-reach areas. Akram Azimi, the 2013 Young Australian of the Year [ who appeared in Medical Forum in June ], is an ambassador for the campaign run by 25-year-old West Australian Michael Sheldrick, who holds a UWA arts and law degree and has food, education and other vaccines as part of the package.
Snapshot of rural GPs
November 2012 census figures have yielded some interesting trend data from the Rural Health West report Minimum Data Set Report and Workforce Analysis Update 2012. It looks at the GP workforce in RA 2 to RA
Practice stress reduction
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