The Australian Society for Psychological Medicine (ASPM) is launching three Focused Psychological Strategies Skill Training ‘Level 2’ series in 2022 delivered online by GP’s for GP’s.
The College has been advised that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has not recommended making amendments to the existing Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listings of antipsychotic medications.
Lynn Saul, who has held a range of management positions in our education services area, finishes with the College this month. The College would like to celebrate Lynn’s huge contribution to the body of work underpinning the ACRRM Fellowship program.
As you may be aware, the Government has announced that from 1 January 2022 the Rural Bulk Billing Incentive under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) will increase for doctors working in remote areas and rural towns based on the Modified Monash Model (MMM). This change will also apply to the Veterans’ Access Payments (VAP) for services provided to DVA clients.
Recent changes to the Medicare Telehealth Item numbers are significant for rural patients as they are likely to directly impact affordable care and immediately reduce regional, rural and remote service delivery.
The Australian Government has updated the criteria for access to PPE for general practices supporting COVID-positive patients. In addition to the current arrangements, eligibility for PPE bundles has been expanded to additional settings.
ACRRM is seeking to fill one of the two representative positions for the College on the Conjoint Committee for Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine (CCPHRM), the group responsible for broader governance of the Diploma of Pre-hospital and Retrieval Medicine (DipPHRM).
A booster dose is now available to anyone in Australia aged 18 years and over who has completed their primary course of vaccination at least six-months ago. ATAGI has advised that in special circumstances, the six-month interval may be shortened to five months when needed for logistical reasons.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Pfizer vaccine as safe and effective for use for 5 to 11-year-old children in Australia.
Asthma Australia has invited the College to participate as a project ambassador to develop national research priorities for asthma as determined by people with lived experience, their carers, treating health professionals and policy makers.
A few words from Dermatologist Dr Jim Muir on the benefits of the Tele-Derm service, free for ACRRM members, and non-members who are doctors working in rural and remote locations.
The Commonwealth Department of Health is reminding prescribers and dispensers of the approaching end date for the final extension of the image-based prescribing arrangements on 31 December 2021.
The College has been invited to nominate a representative to this Working Group, which will provide advice to Stage 6 of the National IAR project, with a focus on adjustments to the National IAR Guidance and IAR Decision Support Tool with a focus on Older Persons.
The College has been invited to nominate candidates for consideration for membership of this Committee, which was established in 2017 to support implementation of the Queensland Sexual Health Strategy 2016-2021.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has been commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health to conduct a multi-year Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study (IHMHS) between 2020 and 2023.
ACRRM welcomes the NSW Government’s recent announcement of $500 million investment in health that will benefit rural communities and help fund rural hospitals across the state.