SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 61

Sperm damage possible via Wi-Fi

2nd Dec 2011

Catherine Hanrahan   all articles by this author

Medical Observer

Radiation from the laptop connected to Wi-Fi was three times higher than without Wi-Fi, and at least seven times higher than control conditions.

USING a laptop connected to the internet via Wi-Fi could be decreasing men’s fertility by affecting their sperm quality, a new study suggests.

Researchers conducted a simple experiment comparing sperm samples from 29 healthy donors left under a Wi-Fi connected laptop computer for four hours with sperm samples kept away from any electronic device.

They found that progressive sperm motility was 80% in the control sperm compared with only 69% in the sperm sample exposed to the Wi-Fi laptop.

The drop in motile sperm corresponded to an increase in non-motile sperm of around 25% in the sperm exposed to the laptop, compared to 14% in the control sperm.

Similarly, more than twice the number of sperm, 8.6%, had fragmented DNA in the sample exposed to the laptop compared with only 3.3% of control sperm.

“Our findings suggest that prolonged use of portable computers sitting on the lap of a male user may decrease sperm fertility potential,” the authors from Argentina said.

Radiation from the laptop connected to Wi-Fi was three times higher than without Wi-Fi, and at least seven times higher than control conditions.

The authors speculated that the detrimental effect on sperm quality was due to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, not a thermal effect, because temperature was controlled during the experiment.

Fertil Steril 2011; online 23 Nov

Tags: Wi-Fi, laptop, sperm, radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, fertility

COMMENTS: 

Bite-my-Lip
2nd Dec 2011
2:56pm

Most rubbish study I've read. What the papers values 0.6?

 

loomingstorm
2nd Dec 2011
5:58pm

Typical tiny under-powered sensationalised melodrama-type study. Inappropriate conclusions drawn from data with innumerable confounders that were simply ignored so that the punch line could be published. Yet another annoyingly unprofessional publicity stunt!!

 

Gina
3rd Dec 2011
10:02am

I knew I should have bought a bigger laptop
Harvey here I come

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 60

Big tobacco ‘pulling out dirty tricks’ in court challenge

2nd Dec 2011 - Medical Observer

 
O'Brien Mark   all articles by this author

Big tobacco ‘pulling out dirty tricks’ in court challenge

BRITISH American Tobacco’s (BAT) High Court challenge to the government’s plain packaging legislation has been rubbished by Quit executive director Fiona Sharkie , who said she expected the challenge to fail.

"What we are seeing is a tobacco industry completely on the ropes, pulling out any dirty trick or tactic in an attempt to undermine this important legislation which will prevent countless Australians from becoming addicted to their deadly products in the future," Ms Sharkie said.

"They have very deep pockets so we expect to see all kinds of nonsense from the tobacco industry over the next twelve months,” she said.

BAT launched the legal action hours after the plain packaging bill received royal ascent, and will argue the legislation is invalid because the federal government is trying to acquire valuable intellectual property without compensation.

No date for the hearing of the case has been set but it is likely to be no earlier than the second quarter of next year.

BAT spokesperson Scott McIntyre said the company had consistently said it would defend its intellectual property on behalf of their shareholders.

"If the same type of legislation was introduced for a beer brewing company or a fast food chain, then they'd be taking the government to court and we're no different," Mr McIntyre said.

The challenge followed legal action launched by tobacco company Philip Morris Asia on 21 November, which served a notice of arbitration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, claiming the commonwealth is essentially stealing its brands.

"Obviously we'd rather not be in a situation where we're forced to take the government to court, but unfortunately for taxpayers the government has taken us down the legal path," Mr McIntyre said.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said big tobacco just couldn't give up their addiction to legal action.

"They have fought governments tooth and nail around the world for decades to stop tobacco control," Ms Roxon said in a statement.

"Let there be no mistake, big tobacco is fighting against the government for one very simple reason – because it knows, as we do, that plain packaging will work.

"While it is fighting to protect its profits, we are fighting to protect lives."

Tags: Plain Packaging, Nicola Roxon, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris

COMMENTS: 

Misty
2nd Dec 2011
5:31pm

It is amazing that this sick and wicked industry seeks to protect its"market of death" through the courts, an institution that was conceived to defend and protect the rights of those on the receiving end of injustice.

 

Peter Arnold
2nd Dec 2011
8:58pm

"BAT launched the legal action hours after the plain packaging bill received royal ascent"
Could one say that the stink of tobacco has gone to high Heaven?
'Spellchecker' 1, sub-editor 0.
'Pedantic Pete' Arnold

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 59

HCCC denies doctors the ‘option to state their case’

2nd Dec 2011

Byron Kaye   all articles by this author - Medical Observer

THE NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has been forced to scrap its standard practice of giving every complaint recipient the chance to respond as it struggles with a sharp rise in notifications despite falling staff numbers.

HCCC commissioner Kieran Pehm also revealed, in the commission’s annual report, that the agency has stopped contacting each complainant to discuss their grievance, and its “service to complainants and providers has suffered” as complaints against the state’s medical professionals rose 16.8% in 2011.

The spike came as permanent staff at the HCCC, the only state-based health watchdog since all others merged into AHPRA, continued to decline from 85 in 2007–08 to 77 now.

“In response to the increasing number of complaints, the commission has had to alter its practices, which has resulted in an inevitable reduction in the level of customer service,” Mr Pehm wrote.

“As a result of the increased demand on its resources, the commission had to limit the action it takes on complaints. This means that in more cases, it no longer clarifies the issues with the complainant, does not seek a response from the provider and gives notice of the outcome only in writing.”

An HCCC spokesperson said the report specified that the new strategy of assessing notifications “solely based on the information provided in the complaint” applied mostly to minor complaints deemed likely to be dismissed anyway.

However, Avant medico-legal consultant Dr Craig Lilienthal said the new measure amounted to “denial of natural justice” as it meant more health professionals were not given the option to state their case, however minor the complaint.

“It’s a huge step backwards... making the complaints process totally unreasonable,” he said.

But Dr Brian Morton, chair of the AMA’s general practice council, supported the measure, saying it would save taxpayer money and take up less of doctors’ time with “frivolous complaints”.

COMMENTS:

 

Gila-mdc
2nd Dec 2011
3:04pm

What a good idea - the HCCC can undertake its independent evaluation and sort of the real ones from the ridiculous, nonsensical complaints.

 

ton doulos
2nd Dec 2011
3:33pm

Finally one of these kangaroo courts is been to be seen for what it really is .
viz.and institution not interested in the nature of any issue rather that the real issue is that there has been a complaint at all

 

DrPhil
2nd Dec 2011
6:14pm

so now you can kick the doctor who can't defend themselves???? we need more details on the difference between Brian's position and Craig's.

 

Babyteeth
2nd Dec 2011
9:18pm

In the NSW Parliament Second Reading (2005) of the new HCCA Act, the HCCC were told not to investigate Minor Complaints anymore. Finally, in 2011, they are now answering that directive. In between times, many Drs have been prosecuted for minor Complaints, and one Dr was de-registered for multiple minor Complaints (new Section 37 of the MPA). This couldn't go on, so the HCCC has finally taken the correct position....Simple airing of Complaints is the best way to go, and there really is no need for Drs to reply, but they can if they want to....hopefully this is a move away from the punitive model.... All Drs need to be investigated all of the time, and that is the end point we should aim for......Also, most minor Complaints are false Complaints, and need to be ignored, and shouldn't be added together to convict the Dr....False minor Complaints brought down our Medical Insurance Industry.

 

Babyteeth
2nd Dec 2011
9:23pm

We have to laugh at Avant Insurance and the AMA who stood around for Thirty years, and allowed innocent Drs to be prosecuted, and pursued relentlessly by the HCCC and the NSWMB. Avant Insurance and the AMA, told the innocent Drs to plead guilty and accept their Medicine. Both the AMA and Avant, also allowed and encouraged the most hideous changes to NSW Legislation from 2005 onwards. Both the AMA and Avant, encouraged the few 'bad Apples' concept of Prosecution as long as the HCCC didn't pursue the Specialists and their mates.... Note, both the AMA and Avant, have changed their core people for decades, and so nothing changes, yet it appears the HCCC may be changing...

 

Dr Anne
2nd Dec 2011
11:29pm

a psychotic relative of a patient once made an unfounded complaint about me, but I could do nothing about it. Why couldn't I complain about him? He was a professional (non-medical)and spent his time writing to the HCCc about various doctors. But nothing was done to stop him.
And, Babyteeth, you don't make sense -if 'all doctors need to be investigated all of the time', but most complaints need to be ignored, where is the logic in that?

 

Babyteeth
3rd Dec 2011
12:07am

Dr Anne, your Complainant was a Psychopath,as they like to destroy people, and the system we had in the past, encouraged these outrageous Complainants.,,, in the past, whether this encouragement of Complaints crossed the line to pre-meditation of Complaints against targeted Drs (a likely evolution), is what I am concerned has not been answered to date. ....... I want a level playing field, a benign system, where all Drs weaknesses are recognised, challenged and improved....yes, my statement contradicts, but we will have to compromise with the Authorities,....and even I have learnt from a vexatious Complainant who pressed my buttons and got me to respond, and even to get angry.... I am trying to find a system, that will satisfy the Authorities, but almost removes totally the punitive component of the system.....I only want Punishment of Drs for totally reckless intoxication, crimes and criminal exploitation of their position....A Dr should not fear the end of their career every time they get a Complaint....... Also, the defence of Complaints can be far too complicated to test in Court, ....for example, 'misdiagnosis', 'botched surgery' and 'failed follow-up' Complaints often accuse the wrong Dr as there may be 6 other Drs involved in the background of the patient's care....and history tells us the 'better and most innocent' Dr of those involved ends up facing the prosecution....

 

DR GEORGE QUITTNER
4th Dec 2011
7:21am

IF ONLY IT WERE THAT SIMPLE. The psychopaths also have access to the courts. The unfettered access by mentally disturbed patients to "due legal process" can convert a conscientious doctor's life into a nightmare. I would caution any doctor who thinks they can manage the narcissist.

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 58

Many over-40s living with undiagnosed AF time bomb

28th Nov 2011

Catherine Hanrahan   all articles by this author

AT LEAST 50,000 Australians aged 40 years or more may have atrial fibrillation without knowing it

AT LEAST 50,000 Australians aged 40 years or more may have atrial fibrillation (AF) without knowing it, new data suggest.

The incidence of undiagnosed AF in the community could be as high as one in 200 in this age group, the annual scientific meeting of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine was told in Sydney last week.

With Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing more than 10 million Australians are aged 40 or older, around 50,000 may have AF based on this estimate.

Professor Ben Freedman, professor of cardiology at Concord Hospital and deputy dean of the Sydney Medical School, told the meeting his study of more than 1000 pre-admission ECGs in over-40s patients showed 3.1% were in AF.

Of those, 0.5% were cases of incidental, unrecognised AF not associated with symptoms or elevated resting heart rate.

“This means there’s a lot of people out there who have AF who don’t know about it,” Professor Freedman told MO.

Asymptomatic AF episodes were more common than symptomatic episodes, and silent AF led to stroke.

“The first time many stroke patients knew they had AF was when they presented with stroke, and stroke is a very poor warning symptom of AF,” he said.

The study showed only half of the patients with known AF and a CHADS2 score of two or more were taking warfarin.

The CHADS2 score is calculated using history of congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, stroke symptoms and age.

Professor Freedman said doctors were not anticoagulating on the basis of stroke risk, and an appreciable asymptomatic group may benefit from recognition and thromboprophylaxis to reduce future stroke.

“I think there’s been an increase in the last 2–3 years in the use of risk calculators, and it’s partly because of the realisation that there are other drugs now that could be used for anticoagulation,” Professor Freedman said.

“But there still is an evidence practice gap, and I think we still need to close it if we are serious about preventing stroke.”

The new anticoagulants may assist in closing this gap, he said.

 
Tags: atrial fibrillation, stroke, undiagnosed, asymptomatic, CHADS2

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 57

Meat a paradox for carnivores, study finds

28th Nov 2011

Danny Rose   all articles by this author

Medical Observer

WHEN it comes to eating meat, Australian research suggests the food is made more palatable by putting the animal’s mind out of your mind.

Researchers at the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology have examined the mental processes they say allow people to overcome the “meat paradox”.

"Meat is central to most people's diets and a focus of culinary enjoyment, yet most people also like animals and are disturbed by harm done to them, therefore creating a 'meat paradox',” Dr Brock Bastian (PhD) said.

“People's concern for animal welfare conflicts with their culinary behaviour.

“Our studies show that this motivates people to deny minds to animals.”

The researchers found when people were reminded of the harm caused by meat-eating, they viewed food-related animals as possessing fewer mental capacities compared to when they were not reminded.

Denial of mind to a food-related animal was especially evident when people expected to eat meat in the near future.

It was also a driver for people referring to animal meat by different names – such as “pork or beef without thinking about pigs or cows” for example.

This mental disconnect also has ramifications for the oversight of the meat industry, Dr Bastian said.

“People rarely enjoy thinking about where meat comes from, the processes it goes through to get to their tables, or the living qualities of the animals from which it is extracted," he said in a statement.

"Denying minds to animals reduces concern for their welfare, justifying the harm caused to them in the process of meat production.

"In short, our work highlights the fact that although most people do not mind eating meat, they do not like thinking of animals they eat as having possessed minds.”

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2011, in press

Tags: Meat paradox, pork, pig, psychology

 

Comments

 

Wulff
28th Nov 2011
3:55pm

As a vegan . . . . please don't immediately switch off and disregard my comment. This evidence just shows how selfish, childish and plain stupid human beings can be: the classification of animals intelligence as a factor for existence as a food source based on a non-scientific guilt mechanism.

 

ondocfarm
28th Nov 2011
4:36pm

How banal can psychologists get. Meat eating is a learned process from childhood and generally no one is trying to say animals sourced for meat have such effects on people.......except some psychology researchers! (Nothing better or more practically useful to study?)...
Certainly, many who become vegetarians have developed a 'social consciousness' which no doubt would vanish if they were semistarved as most of our ancestors were and would have been much worse without meat/fish as a protein source....... The development of the human brain was geared around high quality protein sources over many years, (meat and bone marrow across the ice ages)..... Makes you wonder what the vegetarians/vegans will turn out like over long term evolution!!

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 56

Canned soup linked with BPA spike in urine

24th Nov 2011

AFP (Agence France-Presse)   all articles by this author

 Medical Observer

PEOPLE who ate canned soup for five days straight saw their urinary levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) spike 1200 % compared to those who ate fresh soup, US researchers found.

"We've known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body," said lead author Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

"This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use."

The chemical BPA is an endocrine disruptor that has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animal studies at levels of 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight and higher, though it remains uncertain if the same effects cross over to humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This study did not measure BPA levels by micrograms per kilogram of body weight, but rather by micrograms per litre of urine, so a direct comparison to the EPA-cited danger level in animals was not possible.

However, previous studies have linked BPA at lower levels than those found in the Harvard study to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in humans, the lead author said. BPA is found in the lining of canned foods, cash register receipts, dental fillings, some plastics and some polycarbonate bottles.

Seventy-five people took part in the study, eating a 12 ounce (340 g) serving of either fresh or canned soup for five days in a row and were told not to otherwise alter their regular eating habits.

A urine analysis showed the canned soup eaters had 1221% higher levels of BPA than those who ate the fresh soup.

BPA is typically eliminated in the urine so more studies were needed to examine how long elevated levels may remain in the body, the researchers said.

JAMA 2011:306:2218-20

 
Tags: BPA, soup, canned food, endocrine

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 55

Danger of staggered paracetamol overdose

24th Nov 2011

Press Association   all articles by this author

 Medical Observer

PEOPLE who regularly take higher than the recommended dose of paracetamol over a period of time to relieve pain could be at increased risk of dying than those who take a one-off overdose, researchers warn.

The danger arises because so-called staggered overdoses are more difficult for doctors to assess.

Researchers looked at data from 663 patients admitted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from 1992 to 2008 with liver injury caused by paracetamol.

Of those patients, a total of 161 had experienced a staggered overdose, mostly after taking the drug to relieve common ailments including headache and stomach pain.

“They haven’t taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up and the effect can be fatal,” said Dr Kenneth Simpson, from the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit.

The patients who took staggered overdoses on average ingested less paracetamol than patients with a single incidence of overdose – 24 g vs 27 g.

Of the patients from both groups for who timings were available, the median time of presentation at the emergency department since overdose was 23 hours.

“On admission, these staggered overdose patients were more likely to have liver and brain problems, require kidney dialysis or help with breathing and were at a greater risk of dying than people who had taken single overdoses,” Dr Simpson said.

Measuring the level of paracetamol in blood is not a safe indicator of the patient’s health for those who have taken staggered overdoses, he said.

“Staggered overdoses or patients presenting late after an overdose need to be closely monitored and considered for the paracetamol antidote, N-acetylcysteine, irrespective of the concentration of paracetamol in their blood,” Dr Simpson said.

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2011; online 23 Nov

Tags: paracetamol, staggered, overdose

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 54

E-health records one step closer

24th Nov 2011

Andrew Bracey and AAP   all articles by this author

Medical Observer

THE federal government has taken another step towards setting up its patient-controlled electronic health records (PCEHRs) system, with Health Minister Nicola Roxon introducing the legislation to Parliament yesterday.

Ms Roxon said the proposed national system – which has attracted criticism from doctors for the lack of remuneration offered to GPs who would be responsible for helping to set up and maintain the records – would drag
the management of health records into the 21st century.

She said individuals' health information was fragmented rather than attached to the patient, resulting in unnecessary retesting, delays and medical errors.

Hospital studies have indicated that 9–17% of tests are unnecessary duplicates, and 18% of medical errors are attributed to inadequate patient information.

Ms Roxon said a government analysis estimated the net economic benefit of e-health records at $11.5 billion to 2025.

The absence of such records demonstrated the difficulties of health reform – "the fragmentation, the vested interests and the balancing priorities".

Ms Roxon said the bill would set up the legal basis for the new system when it starts on 1 July 2012.

She said any Australian would be able to register to have a PCEHR and would be able to decide who could access it and the extent of the access.

Patients and organisations authorised to access the information would be subject to existing privacy laws.

The health department will initially run the system, though this may be transferred to a statutory authority.

An independent council would advise on clinical, privacy and security matters.

Debate on the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill 2011 was adjourned.

 
Tags: PCEHR, E-health, Roxon, legislation

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 53

Patients complain of long GP waiting times

• By Gemma Collins on  28 November 2011 - 6Minutes

The majority of patients are happy with the time that their GP spends with them but some feel they are waiting too long for an appointment, according to new figures.

More than 14.5 million Australians – 82%- visited a GP in the past 12 months, making it the most common health service accessed, according to the latest Patients' Experience Survey 2010-2011 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (link).

Around 88% of patients said they felt their GP had always or often spent enough time with them.

However, just over 15% who had seen a GP in the past 12 months said they felt they had waited longer than acceptable to get an appointment.

And around 8% admitted that they had delayed or put off seeing a GP because of the cost of the consultation.

Nearly a third of patients managed to see their GP for urgent medical care within four hours of making an appointment, 13% had to wait until the next day and 9% had to wait two or more days.  

While only 3% had to travel more than an hour to see one, according to the figures.

Most people who saw a GP last year did so two or more times, with a higher proportion of women than men visiting a doctor and more than three quarters of patients over-75 seeing a doctor more than four times a year. 

Meanwhile the figures show more than a quarter of Australians who needed to see a dentist had put it off because of the cost and 12% of patients needing to see a specialist had done the same.
 

SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 52

Better Access cuts will go back into mental health: Roxon

Byron Kaye   all articles by this author

 

 Medical Observer

HEALTH Minister Nicola Roxon has given GPs a guarantee that every cent saved through the controversial cuts to the Better Access scheme will be reinvested elsewhere in mental health services.

In a robust question and answer session before more than 1000 delegates at the AGPN National Forum in Melbourne this week, Ms Roxon also all but ruled out meeting long-running GP demands that MBS rebates be indexed to match inflation.

Ms Roxon was asked by former AGPN chair Dr Tony Hobbs, one of the architects of the Medicare Locals (ML) program, about the government’s plans for the $580 million it is expected to save by slashing GP Better Access.

Dr Hobbs said there were already concerns that the cuts, since taking effect on 1 November, had led to patients being “quarantined” before being treated by their GP, and demanded a guarantee that all savings go back into the ML-run Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) program.

“I can absolutely commit that that is going into mental health,” Ms Roxon replied.

“We have a very firm commitment about how that money is going to be spent – in mental health.”

She added that it was “just not possible for us to continue to meet growing demands” without reviewing existing spending, but “money that gets saved in one area… will absolutely flow through to mental health”.

However, Ms Roxon was less amenable to calls for indexed MBS rebates and urged GPs to show what additional services they could deliver before asking for extra funding.

Noting GP pay was “still very generous” and the MBS had so far been spared the cuts other parts of the health system had faced, Ms Roxon said there was “no appetite in government” for a “big jump” in the MBS.

“Big licks of money will only ever be considered by government if you can show us what additional benefits patients will get out of it,” she said.
Byron Kaye reports from the 2011 AGPN National Forum in Melbourne.

Tags: MBS, better access, Nicola Roxon, AGPN, mental health, rebates

Comments:

 

John Miller
18th Nov 2011
3:27pm

There's some odd logic here. Ms Roxon talks of "extra funding" while GPs talk of "maintenance funding" ie, keeping pace with inflation.
It's quite interesting to compare the position of the Medical Board of Australia which recently raised its already exorbitant fees by the CPI, with that of Medicare which never raises its rebates by anything near the CPI. On this basis, given sufficient time, the annual registration fee will eventually exceed the annual income of a GP.
In reality, no logic will work on this or any other politician while BB rates remain high.

 

Sniper
18th Nov 2011
5:35pm

If I could see the sense in the government wasting so much money on outdated and bloated PBS subsidies , heading towards the billions and going into the bloated profits of Pharmacy chains then I might not feel so piqued at her intimation that we are over payed. My understanding is that both her parents are/were pharmacists. She has probably been weaned on anecdotes of "how the noble pharmacist saved the dumb Dr". She is presiding over the over spend of billions yet she quibbles and quips about a GPs worth. There is a whiff of nepotism about Roxon.

 

inkblot
18th Nov 2011
5:36pm

A lot of the funding that is bankrolled from these cuts is going into mental health services, however, these are being aimed mostly at centre-based programs for young people aged 15 to 25. But there are no plans in place for people over 25, despite that the highest rates of suicide for any age bracket is for middle aged and older men (with men aged 40-44 years having the highest suicide rate - over 26 deaths per 100,000 males).

The full impact of the cuts wont hit us yet, because by Jan 2012 people are entitled to another 10 (the count zeros out every year). By about April 2012 though, there are going to be folks who have used up all 10 sessions and still need more treatment, but Medicare will stop funding it. If people cant afford to fund their own treatment, then they will be left in the lurch for 8 months. After that, psychiatrist appointments are going to be more difficult to get as mental health consumers turn to them in droves. Psychologists like myself will still be providing services to the wealthier folks in society who can afford therapy, while those who are struggling get cut short at 10 appointments. We have to set aside the fact that it costs a lot more for Medicare to fund psychiatrist consultations and even one hospital bed day for a mental health patient is around $1500, which is incidentally the total cost of Medicare funding 18 psychologist sessions per year for an individual. But the hardest hit of all will be people in rural Australia, as the focus of the Government turns to building big mental health treatment centres in cities and large towns, which only some people will access due to the stigma and visibility of these places. As one rural mental health advocate put it, these cuts are 'ten kinds of stupid': http://betteraccess.net/images/stupid.jpg

 

Stratmatonman
18th Nov 2011
6:33pm

Hey Ms Roxon, it isn't GP Pay - it's patient rebates ! And guess what - I am now privately billing it where previously I would have bulk-billed it. The sooner you're gone the better - you've done more to devalue GPs than ANY Minister in Australian Government history - you're a disgrace.

 

SJDoc
18th Nov 2011
7:25pm

Let's face it - this is the old labour chestnut of redistributing wealth. We could not have all this money being earned by doctors, heaven forbid! Let's take it off them and give it to mental health nurses or psychologists or social workers but pray, not doctors.... those uncaring parasites that make their living off the sick. But, colleagues, it is in our hands - after all, the Medicare rebate has been cut, but, I for one, continue to charge the same fee and I am not shy about telling my patients whose fault it is that their rebates have been cut!

 

smart
18th Nov 2011
9:48pm

Obviously she is a powerful and rude actress that refuses to answer the questions directly and plays with words and makes false promises for the future.
GPs need to act and pull her down from the position that she does not deserve to have. Until GPs are a bunch of silent lambs , it goes like this and never ends.
Tomorrow this government and its health minister might pass a legislation asking the GPs to work under supervision of nurses and I am afraid that GPs might obey that because they have no unity or courage to stand and fight for their rights.
I feel really sorry that GPs do not believe in their power if they act together. Look at the nurses , they fight for what they want and get it.

SSWAHS = SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 71

Medicare Locals will be healthcare Polyfilla: Roxon

• By Michael Woodhead on  18 November 2011 - 6Minutes

Divisions selected to be Medicare Locals must lose their doctor focus and prepare to be like Polyfilla to “fill in the gaps” of local health services, health minister Nicola Roxon says.


Speaking to the GP divisions’ annual conference in Melbourne today, the minister said the first priority of the new organisations will be to identify gaps in local services and integrate care.

“You are no longer organisations for a particular group of professionals – you are responsible for overseeing the primary health care needs of your entire community,” she told the AGPN’s GP Network Forum.

“You will need to work together to address these gaps – with an initial priority of addressing gaps in after hours services when you are first established.

Nicola Roxon said Medicare Locals will be tasked with  supporting all health professionals in primary care,  to “improve the quality and responsiveness of local care services, including in safety, performance and accountability”.

She said it was also important for Medicare Locals to go out into the local community and “tell and re-tell the story” of how they will improve local health services and how they will work with patients, professionals, other organisations, and hospitals.

The minister told the five divisions yet to be announced as Medicare Locals “not to be too disappointed” but to listen to the constructive feedback and “work cooperatively” with the Department of Health and Ageing

“Likewise, I would encourage applicants in areas where another organisation is to become the Medicare Local to contribute constructively to the process. The interests of the patients and providers in your area are best served by a smooth transition.”

It would seem that Nicola Roxon is making it quite clear that the dominance of the Division of General Practice is over when it comes to determining the delivery of clinical services provided in the jurisdiction of the new Medicare Locals. This is something about which the Board of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice needs to take note. Recent declarations in the 'Highland's Doctor' by the Chairman of the SHDGP Board were:

"............. this was softened with the recognition that there was a real need to bring GPs from the Divisions into cooperation and participation as leaders in the new MLs, and that experience serving in Divisions over the previous 18 years had created skills in governance, service delivery and population health that few other potential ML Board members drawn from other branches of healthcare would have in the short term."

Drs Roche and Ruscoe had better reconsider their view in light of this recent advice from the Minister for Health and Ageing in which their role is to be collaborators and not as "leaders".

SSWAHS + SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 70

In a remarkable bit of spin by the CEO of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice comes this short piece from the Wednesday publication of the Southern Highland News.

While there is nothing new about this news it does give a remarkable impression of "the tail wagging the dog". Does anyone really believe that the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice somehow pulled off this coup without the major contribution of the other partner?

At least, finally, the local community who are supposed to "find it easier to navigate the health system" are being told about it! Well done, Dr Ruscoe.

Enhanced health services for Southern Highlands
9th November 2011
By: Southern Highland News

The Southern Highlands Division of General Practice, in partnership with our neighbouring Division in Macarthur, has been successful in its bid to establish the new South Western Sydney Medicare Local.

This will become operational on July 1, 2012, and will eventually cover primary care services from Bankstown in the north to Wingecarribee in the south, mirroring the boundaries of our Local Health District.

It is one of thirty-eight organisations selected to become the next Medicare Locals that will drive access to better primary health care across Australia, announced by Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon on Friday.

"Importantly, Medicare Locals will maintain and build on the excellent work already done by the local Divisions of General Practice, with GPs and general practice being at the centre of a strong, integrated primary health care system," the Minister said.

The new Medicare Local will be responsible for population health planning, identifying and filling gaps in primary care services and will have greater involvement in co-ordination and integration of services at the local level.

"The Federal Government’s Medicare Local concept is designed to make it easier for patients to navigate the health system", CEO of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice, Dr Warwick Ruscoe, said.

SSWAHS = SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 69

If ever we needed to see what the agenda of the College of GPs (and some of the existing Board members of the Divisions of General Practice) has been in their submissions for ownership of the Medicare Locals, this Media Release spells it out emphatically - "We intend to maintain control because none other than a medical practitioner can do the job of running the Medicare Local".

Local allied health practitioners and community members with health and/or business acumen should be champing at the bit to ensure that they can rein in the entrepreneurial plans of this Juggernaut.  

The only way to provide the diverse, effective and efficient community based health services to the Southern Highlands is for the community members delivering and receiving those services to have equality in the decision making of their Medicare Local. Only then will the Vision of the Bankstown Health Coalition be able to be replicated in the Southern Highlands.

7 November 2011
 
Medicare Locals – GPs must retain a strong leadership role

To avoid fragmentation of patient healthcare, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) urges the Government to consult closely with the medical profession as it progresses the establishment of Medicare Locals.

On Friday, the Minister for Health and Ageing released a list of 38 organisations that have been selected to become the next Medicare Locals.

RACGP President Professor Claire Jackson said that Medicare Locals will have a broader focus than their predecessor Divisions of General Practice, and whilst this should provide a greater opportunity for integrated team based care, it is essential that GPs retain strong leadership roles, and that the general practice is seen as the patient's community healthcare home.

“Quality general practice is the foundation of primary care and must be the basis of Medicare Locals. Our focus needs to remain on enhancement of services to the patient and the community taking care to avoid fragmentation,” she said.

The College is pleased that Minister Roxon acknowledged the importance of ‘GPs and general practice being at the centre of a strong, integrated primary healthcare system’ and the need to ‘build on the excellent work already done by the local Divisions of General Practice’.

“The RACGP believes it is important we remain included in the discussions around the development of each of these organisations and we urge members to remain involved so that general practice continues to be the cornerstone of reform.

“It is likely that the governance of a Medicare Local will be through a skills based board rather than representative based board. GPs with such skills are encouraged to apply and have a voice,” Professor Jackson concluded.
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