SSWAHS = SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 57

Medicare Locals show their new DNA

• By Michael Woodhead on  25 August 2011

The new branding for Medicare Locals has been unveiled at a meeting of some of their leaders with the Prime Minister and health minister Nicola Roxon in Canberra today.

“Australia’s network of Medicare Locals will be easily identifiable as a cohesive national network with its new ‘ribbon helix’ branding,” said AGPN chair Dr Emil Djakic at a Medicare Local Forum held at Parliament House.

“But it’s the changes Medicare Locals will bring to local health care services for both health care professionals and consumers that will make the difference over time,” Dr Djakic said.

Leaders for the first 19 of the planned 62 Medicare Locals met in Canberra and heard the Prime Minister say that they would be “front and centre in the push to “ shift the centre of gravity from hospitals towards primary health care”.

She said Medicare Locals would play a key role in helping to improve access to after-hours care, chronic disease prevention and management programs and mental health initiatives.

“Medicare Locals will deliver home-grown solutions to local health problems and make it easier for Australians to see and contact a health professional,” a statement said.

However, a critic (link)  this week blogged that the creation of Medicare Locals was the Federal government’s way of exerting control over previously independent bodies. He claimed that the Federal health department would have the final say over staff appointments, programs, membership structure, and would have to sign off on any contacts contracts over $22,000.

SSWAHS = SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 51

Medicare Locals must manage expectations

20th Jun 2011 - Medical Observer

Dr Emil Djakic   all articles by this author

A NEW era in primary healthcare reform is about to get under way as the first tranche of Medicare Locals shifts into implementation mode as of next week.

The announcement of the successful first-round applicants is testament to the high performance of the General Practice Network and to all the hard work that went into preparing applications – a process that has been testing at the best of times.

For many, though, it has been a bittersweet announcement. For those divisions that did not meet the criteria in the first round, further work will need to be done, and the feedback provided by the assessors will be eagerly awaited.

For some, the Government has made it clear that forming partnerships to submit joint bids will assist in meeting the criteria for the next round, and the Government has encouraged a number of competing applicants to do so.

This advice is a reflection of the emphasis on partnerships, collaboration and increased stakeholder engagement that Medicare Locals are required to demonstrate.

For the first tranche of Medicare Locals, though, managing expectations will now be part and parcel of this implementation phase. This new model of care through these new primary healthcare organisations will be created over time, and in due course consumers, carers and healthcare professionals will start to appreciate the subtle but effective changes that Medicare Locals will be able to deliver in making the primary healthcare sector easier to navigate.

Contributing substantially to a smoother, consumer-friendly system will be the role Medicare Locals play in the promotion and support of e-health solutions across the primary care setting.

They will be fundamental in driving the change, adoption and support strategy of the Government’s Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system – due to begin rolling out nationally from July next year. The PCEHR promises to deliver better health outcomes for consumers by providing consistent, accurate and timely information to healthcare providers, assisting them in making better decisions around diagnosis and treatment, and minimising the risks associated with allergies and medication mismanagement.

Medicare Locals will also be responsible for managing, coordinating and communicating a significant increase in after-hours GP services as they begin rolling out from 1 July this year.

Contributing to the unsustainable burden on the hospital system – especially emergency departments – is the fact that after-hours GP services are patchy and inconsistent, and where they do exist, many people are unaware of where they are, or have misconceptions about what a GP is able to treat, resulting in unnecessary trips to the hospital.

These early initiatives are only a small number in what will be a comprehensive suite that Medicare Locals will develop and deliver over time.

But the success of even these early programs, and the confidence in the system that comes with them, will be completely reliant on the sufficient resourcing and support of these organisations from the beginning, and on the ability of Medicare Locals and the Government to manage early expectations.

 

SSWAHS = SWSLHN + SLHN and the Medicare Locals - 46

AGPN seeks accelerated Medicare Local timeline

24th May 2011

A CALL by the AGPN to launch more than 15 Medicare Locals in July has met with fierce resistance from the GP fraternity.

With the Government yet to announce which Medicare Locals will be the first to be established, the AGPN said there were more than 15 that could feasibly be launched now.
 It urged the Government to bring forward their launch, and not wait six months to announce the next tranche as planned.

AGPN chair Dr Emil Djakic said there would be no financial disadvantages in launching an additional 10 Medicare Locals from 1 July.

“The work and commitment is there... Why wait another six months?” Dr Djakic told MO.

“If there are other proposals that came to that original invitation to apply that meet the eligibility criteria and really look like being able to get on and do the job, then we should be allowed to roll our sleeves up and get on with it.”

AMA president-elect Dr Steve Hambleton, however, said too much remained unknown about the organisations, and he reiterated his concern that GP autonomy would be reduced.

“Accelerating the process means there’s going to be more risk, not less,” he said.

RDAA president Dr Paul Mara also urged “slowing down” the rollout, saying GPs had been “hoodwinked” because Medicare Locals were set to take fund-holding from GPs.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon’s office had not responded to MO’s queries at the time of press.

SSWAHS = SWSLHN + SLHN and the Medicare Locals - 30

AGPN calls for more Medicare Locals to start in July

• By Gemma Collins on 15 April 2011

The AGPN is urging the Federal government to fast-track its plans for Medicare Locals after the first round was inundated with applications.

AGPN Chair Dr Emil Djakic is calling for more than the planned 15 Medicare Locals to be implemented in July after 58 bids were submitted from across the Divisions of General Practice.

Dr Djakic said that the high response rate proved the network was “willing to transform primary health care services”, although five Medicare Local areas did not attract any applications.

“The AGPN is urging the Federal government to support the commencement of as many as possible in this first round if more than 15 applications meet the eligibility requirements,” he said.

“The sooner these organisations can be established in communities across the country, the sooner the benefits to the local health system will flow to those communities.”

As reported in 6minutes, the application process has triggered disputes among some of the divisions who have been unhappy with the government’s planned boundaries for the Medicare Locals.

An independent mediator had to be called in to help resolve a row between the Sydney consortiums - the South West Health Coalition (SWSHC) and the Macarthur and Southern Highlands Divisions - who both submitted bids for a Medicare Local in the south west."

Socrates wishes good luck to the SWS Health Coalition in achieving the outcome they seek. Their preparation and community consultation places them poles apart from the secretive "Boards only" process adopted by their competitors. I hope that if the SWS Health Coalition is the successful applicant for the SWS Medicare Local, they will aim to expand their network to include the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee LGAs.

If the SWS Health Coalition can't extend their reach to the Southern Highlands area then perhaps they can give some good advice to the Macarthur and Southern Highlands Division about how they can improve their game. That is, of course, if those Divisions of General Practice retain their current funding. After all, the Medicare Locals are meant to replace the Divisions, are they not? And in the context of the proposed Budget constraints and cuts, perhaps a cut to the funding for Divisions of General Practice would be helpful.