Double billing crackdown challenged
GPs have challenged the government to provide evidence justifying the need for a crackdown on ‘double billing’ of chronic disease management (CDM) and standard consult item numbers.
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CPD
The following articles have the tag CPD
Behind the news – CPD tax deductions cap
DOCTORS have warned that government plans to cap tax deductions for CPD at $2000 will undermine GP supervising while further stigmatising rural practice.
‘Dumbing down the health system’ – doctors dissect budget
FREEZING Medicare rebates, targeting MBS double-dipping, and capping tax-deductible CPD costs claimed by doctors are all part of sweeping savings measures in the federal budget.
Remote GP slams cap on CPD
A GP working in a remote Northern Territory community has slammed the government’s proposed cap on tax deductible CPD, saying it would leave many communities struggling to recruit and maintain a medical workforce.
Doctors reject proposed medical education expenses cap
ALMOST all doctors believe the federal government’s proposed changes to tax deductions for continuing medical education expenses will seriously impair their professional development, according to an AMA poll.
PCEHR software deadline inundates provider with inquiries
PRACTICES anxious to meet today’s personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) deadline have inundated their software providers with inquiries as the RACGP holds workshops around the country explaining the new system.
Revalidation support evenly split
AUSTRALIAN GPs are evenly split on whether the Medical Board of Australia should introduce a revalidation scheme but are concerned by the extra administrative burden it would present, a new survey suggests.
Revalidation years away
THE chief health profession’s regulator has moved to reassure GPs about plans to introduce staged revalidation, suggesting that although continuing professional development (CPD) may need improvement, any significant changes are years away.
Plibersek unveils $2.55 million for e-health training
HEALTH Minister Tanya Plibersek has allocated $2.55 million for an RACGP-run program to help GPs operate the PCEHR.
Keep calm, children’s health checks here to help
GPs will collect continuing professional development (CPD) points for completing training in the new-look children’s health checks, but will not be pressured to diagnose or meet arbitrary quotas, GP leaders have said.
AMA approves pharma company CPD sponsorship
PHARMACEUTICAL company sponsorship of educational events for doctors has again been deemed ethically acceptable by the AMA, provided it is transparent and in no way seeks to undermine doctors’ autonomy. The AMA last week released an updated position statement, Doctors’ Relationships with Industry – 2010, designed to provide guidance to doctors on how to maintain ethical relationships with the pharmaceutical and medical device and technology industries. The position statement comes just months after the implementation of Medicines Australia’s new code of conduct, which sought to further rein in pharmaceutical company spending on educational events. The AMA ...
Mandatory CPD looms for GP nurses
MANDATORY continuing professional education is set to become an annual requirement for nursing registration under the new national registration and accreditation laws, which could be in place as early as next year. The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Health Professionals will create a single registration and accreditation system for specific health professionals, including nurses and midwives. The new laws would render state-based nursing registration boards redundant but would cut registration red tape and allow nurses to work in any state if they met national requirements. The new scheme would also mandate that every nurse complete ...
Door opens to GP competency tests
THE prospect of GPs having to complete annual paperwork to prove they are competent could be on the horizon, following a new agreement between state and territory health ministers to link continued professional development (CPD) to annual medical board registration. Doctor revalidation already exists in the UK, US and other countries, and requires professionals to undertake ongoing CPD in specific areas, sit exams or be interviewed to prove their competence. The local plan, announced in an Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council communiqué, will be introduced under the Government’s controversial national registration and accreditation scheme. Dr Paul ...
Pharma-sponsored CPD should be downsized: academics
GP educational events are once again in the spotlight as two leading academics have criticised the involvement of pharmaceutical companies in continuing professional development activities. Writing in the most recent British Medical Journal , both Professor Emerita Suzanne Fletcher , of Harvard University, and Ray Moynihan , public health lecturer at the University of Newcastle, have called for pharmaceutical company sponsorship to be significantly scaled back. Professor Fletcher goes as far as to suggest that such sponsorship be phased out entirely, and gives a five-year time frame for the process. Locally, the RACGP ...
CPD heat turns on college
THE independence of CPD programs is in doubt after the RACGP admitted its guidelines are not stringent enough and the burgeoning education industry makes them impossible to police. The admission follows widely publicised reports that CPD provider HealthEd allowed pharmaceutical sponsors to hand-pick speakers at educational events without disclosure to attending doctors ( MO , 29 February). However, Medical Observer has learned that the RACGP endorsed HealthEd’s program in line with its CPD guidelines after a complaint was lodged to the college about a year ago regarding the involvement of the event’s sponsor. When asked about the complaint, Dr Ramesh Manocha, ...