Over two thousand employees have attended a BDNH WorkHealth check since its inception. Have any of your patients? More »

I’m pleased to announce that the guest speaker at the BDDGP AGM will be Dr Noel Hayman, who will be delivering a talk on “Closing the Gap”. More »

Thanks to a brilliant idea from Dr Colin Crook, a palliative care booklet has been developed for GPs when managing palliative care for patients. Dr Crook, Dr David Bromley, Claire McKenna (GRPCC) and Jade Odgers (GRPCT) provided the expert assistance needed to produce this quality publication. More »

Malcolm Burnett is an accredited dietitian/nutritionist who has many specialities including paediatrics and sports medicine. Malcolm runs clinics at Springs Medical Centre (Daylesford) and at Cooinda Community Health (Wendouree ). More »

Melissa Barnes runs Start Where You Are, providing support and guidance for patients requiring diet assistance  or commencing an exercise program. No “off the shelf quick fixes” or popular diets marketed to millions. More »

BHS has started sending EDSs (electronic discharge summaries) from their Emergency Department. If your practice runs Argus, you can expect these to appear in your results inbox.

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Can you mentor a John Flynn student for 2 weeks per year over 4 years? Timing of placements by mutual agreement. 50 additional RA 2 to 5 doctors are needed this year to provide clinical mentoring for JFPP students, keen for rural and remote experience.

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About twenty five budding film critics braved the horrendous weather to attend BDDGP’s latest social gathering at the Gold Class movie night on August 11th. More »

Over a year ago, we launched the Need-a-GP hotline. Many people in Ballarat were frustrated in their efforts to find a doctor, while many practice staff were wasting time taking calls from patients they couldn’t help. A patient might make six or seven calls before they got to a practice that could accept them; refusals might have made your practice look bad, even though it wasn’t your fault. More »

The GP Psych Support service provides GPs with free patient management advice from a team of psychiatrists. The service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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Yes, entry to the LIFE diabetes prevention program keeps changing. I have recently been appointed our ‘go to person’ for all things diabetes prevention. If I don’t know, I will find out. More »

We can refer clients to the Ballarat Aquatic Centre for reduced cost sessions via the Active Links@BAC program.

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I have to sort through a lot of not-so-useful information in my position of GP advisor, but one article that caught my attention was a new website produced by the State Government of Victoria.  It has been specifically designed for Victorian GPs and provides all sorts of useful information. More »

I am interested in speaking to GPs with experience in caring for renal failure patients who are not undergoing dialysis.

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There are five stages of change. Determining your patient’s readiness to change can help predict their level of compliance in new treatment regimes. More »

A ‘referrers guide to nuclear medicine’, provided by Lake Imaging, has been delivered to all GPs. Here’s an electronic copy as well if you need it.

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Have you seen someone recently with a “high risk” of developing type 2 diabetes and needed a referral pathway for risk reduction? And how do you work out who is at “high risk” anyway? More »

The February 2010 recalculation for the GPII has just been released. Our division has 90% childhood immunisation coverage. Many of you have assisted in this achievement so well done! More »

The latest NPS education program ‘Management options to maximise sleep’ encourages prescribers to recommend non-drug therapies as first-line treatment for insomnia and to discuss the importance of good sleep practices and the potential harms of hypnotic medicines with the patient before prescribing hypnotics. More »

MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do-It) is an evidence-based group program designed to assist children who are overweight or obese to change their lifestyle to make healthier choices and undertake physical activity. More »

Jill Maruca at Healthy Sleep Solutions provides sleep testing and management for sleep apnoea. This is a mobile service. A trained sleep technician can come to your clinic to do regular testing days, and follow up CPAP introductions (must have available room). More »

RWAV wants to know so we can acknowledge their achievements. Nominations for the Victorian Rural Doctors’ Awards are now open. More »

Being a new parent can be a stressful and difficult time. Perinatal support is there to identify problems early and provide intervention and support to minimise the impact on families. More »

Under the ‘Close the Gap’ health initiative there will be free or low cost medicines for ATSI patients as of the first of July. ATSI patients with a Health Care Card will receive free medication, and those without a Health Care Card will pay $5.40 per script. More »

Welcome to the first Vox Doc, where we ask for anonymous GP comments. This month, you can wax ecstatic (or spit curses) about your clinical software. More »

During routine consultations, the “Five A’s” approach is a strategy that can help GPs to address physical inactivity of patients. Sounding a bit like the 5 D’s in the movie Dodgeball (“dodge, duck, dip, dive and er…dodge”), the Five A’s approach is summarised under the following headings. More »

Some practices are understandably upset that Argus will now cost them money. Not having Argus, however, might cost more. More »

On the 1st of July, new legislation – the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 – will come into effect. The new law means that many health professions, including practice nursing, will be regulated by nationally consistent legislation. More »

Sheree Rennie runs DETA, a diabetes education and consultancy service. Sheree provides diabetes presentations and education sessions to schools, business, organisations and the general community. More »

The Australian government has recently changed processes related to health assessments. While reducing the items numbers available for delivering these services, other factors remain unchanged. More »

As health professionals we have experience in giving solutions to common health ailments/issues. But as individuals living with chronic disease, the participants have real life knowledge. More »

After 18 months in the APCC, Carn-Brae Clinic have considerably improved blood pressure, HbA1C and cholesterol for their diabetic patients. More »

Currently BHS uses in excess of 60 different dressings. It has been shown that we could manage with a range of 10-15 products to achieve the same result. More »

We have begun testing electronic discharge summaries to two practices in Ballarat.  To date, the transmission appears to be going smoothly in this early stage of testing. More »

86% of general practices in our division employ practice nurses. Nursing has been in the media recently; nurse practitioners, nurse-led clinics, and nurses contributing to chronic disease management care. More »

To help improve our region’s wretched cervical screening rates (56.3%), GPs and PNs recently took part in a clinical survey. This is a summary of what you told us. More »

The 2010 budget announcement promises changes for Divisions and opportunities (or burdens!) for local general practices. More »

At BDDGP we work as a team, and frequently reflect on what we can do better in supporting your practice. With this in mind, we are introducing a new liaison role for Division staff to work more closely with individual practices.  This is an extension of the work already undertaken by the Practice Development team. More »

Did you know that the scroll wheel on your mouse can be clicked? Or that accidentally deleted tabs can be reopened? No? Read on. More »

Here at BDDGP, there is ongoing discussion and reflection on how to make things better for general practice.  As a result, new ideas are often being developed and then tested. Here are some of the developments that have been happening in response to your suggestions. More »

May the 1st heralds a raft of changes to many MBS items. Make sure you know what they are. More »

Dr Karen Lewis, a Melbourne GP, was frustrated by non-compliant patients. She discovered health coaching, an evidence-based model for health behaviour change. More »

The Australasian Peers for Progress Diabetes Project (PfP-DP) – a peer support program for people with type 2 diabetes – is coming to Ballarat. More »

Andrew Dowler provides exercise physiology and acupuncture services from Ballarat Sth Chiropractic Clinic at 702 Skipton St (cnr Bell St). More »

Our extended access clinic, operating as Ballarat Primary Care, has seen a significant impact upon waiting lists for services such as podiatry. We also have other services available for GPs to refer to. More »

The new ‘Indigenous Health’ PIP payment comes into effect on the 1st of May 2010. More »

The death of a 34 year old local woman this year highlights the human cost of cervical cancer. More »

Research conducted at a major cancer centre in New York (Sloan-Kettering) has shown that “massage therapy achieves major reductions in cancer patients’ pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety and depression“. More »

The team at Doctors Grand Plaza have had great success with their version of the patient held health summary – “the blue folder”. More »

The recent media coverage of radiation exposure risks with CT scans may increase the number of requests from patients for MRI vs CT. Here are two options to consider. More »

I have recently joined BDDGP as the Close the Gap Program coordinator. Having come from the Northern Territory, I’ve relocated back to Ballarat to be closer to family. More »

There is now an opportunity for older adults to attend strength training sessions at the YMCA Aquatic Centre. More »

I am writing to inform you that we currently have an unexpected staff shortage in our Podiatry Department at Ballarat & District Nursing and Healthcare. More »

Version 5 of Argus is coming soon, and with it comes a new licence agreement. Historically, Argus was free for GPs and specialists to install and use. Not any more. More »

The BHS Maternity Unit is currently reviewing models of care and developing a new team model for the future. The new model will focus on increasing continuity of carer for more women attending the unit and will be implemented by the end of the year. More »

Gail Schuler (RN Div 1) has recently joined us to provide Practice Nurse / Diabetes Nurse Educator services to our practices. Contracting Gail could allow your practice to achieve any or all of the following outcomes. More »

Are you seeing an increased number of patients enquiring about their risk of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease (CVD) after having participated in a WorkHealth check in their workplace? More »

I am pleased to announce the employment of the first nurse practitioner candidate for Ballarat Health Services. More »

Lake Health Group (used to be Lake Physiotherapy) are now offering a speech pathology service at their Howitt St rooms. More »

We asked 23 GPs, practice nurses and practice managers how to improve diabetes prevention. Here’s what you said. More »

You could use the CAT to find your over 65s, but why bother? Bulk identification and recall/reminder alerts can easily be performed in your clinical software. More »

If your pathology downloads aren’t in HL7 format, you might be missing out. More »

As part of our major redevelopment program, the Melbourne Clinic has opened an additional 48 private inpatient suites. More »

Matthew Austin provides a podiatry service from his business Central Highlands Podiatry in Lake Gardens. More »

A new BHS web site will be launched on Tuesday 9^th March at the BDDGP lunchtime CPD. The GP Access website was created by the GP Liaison Unit to provide GPs with up to date information on a range of BHS services, departmental and referral information, hospital guidelines and useful links. More »

A rural and regional tele-support group is available for women with ovarian cancer who need support but are unable to travel to metropolitan areas for meetings. The tele-support group is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 2.30pm. More »

A correspondence based support program entitled ‘Family Connections’ is available to any family members caring for a relative with psychosis. More »

We wish all of our general practices a safe and happy holiday season, and look forward to seeing you in 2010! More »

The Children’s Hospital Westmead are offering a Diploma in Child Health, a one year part-time distance education program comprising of 111 hours of lectures and supporting material delivered via the internet and DVD. More »

This year’s Christmas event was certainly something to laugh about. We were educated and entertained by Merv Neal who showed us the benefits of laughter yoga. Over 80 staff from our general practices came together at Oscars to unwind and celebrate the end of another busy year in general practice. More »

Local immunisation rates continue to slide. Here’s what you can do about it. More »

I was surprised to learn recently that some GPs and practice staff thought that BDDGP paid Argus to support general practice in the uptake of Argus. This has never been the case, nor has there ever been a financial relationship between ArgusConnect and BDDGP. More »

If a junior doctor has a positive experience while under mentorship, they are more likely to be attracted to general practice and sign up for GP training. More »

Since the recent expansion of UFS Medical, even more local GPs are using ZedMed. Don’t compare these figures to the last lot, however. They were a load of rubbish. More »

Jill Lee offers cancer counselling in the Grampians region. The service offers help with adjustment to illness, grief & loss, severe disruption to normal life, new diagnosis and survivorship. More »

Navigating the maze of referral pathways for diabetes prevention can be a headache. Heather Campbell and I have put together an easy-to-use tool (similar to the Mental Health Support Tool) to help. More »

The latest VCCR statistical report for 2008 shows that the Grampians region Pap screening rate has fallen to 56.3%, down from 58.3% in 2006-7. What can we do? More »

Mair St, Sturt Medical and Carn Brae are using PDSA cycles to make small improvements to the way that their practice operates. Here’s an example. More »

A great night was had by those who attended our recent Annual General Meeting & Member’s Dinner at the Heritage on Lydiard. The guest speaker was Dr Sally Cockburn, known in the media as Dr Feelgood. Sally gave an entertaining and very humorous presentation on GP well-being. More »

1 in 2,500 Caucasian individuals has cystic fibrosis, and 1 in 25 individuals is a carrier of a cystic fibrosis gene fault. If both members of a couple are healthy carriers of cystic fibrosis gene faults, there is a 1 in 4 chance for each of their children to have the condition. More »

Despite all the hype last year that the EPC dental scheme would be cancelled in favour of alternate dental programs, it continues to exist. I have had at least two general practices ask me for information this month, so I thought it might be time for an update. More »

In a triumph of pragmatism over bureaucracy, Medicare have relaxed their rules on what constitutes a valid electronic referral. Referrals sent by Argus are now valid Medicare referrals.
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In 2007, the Victorian Home and Community Care program initiated the Living at Home Assessment Service framework. Designated HACC funded assessment service providers were identified (listed below). These designated agencies are the contact point for the Living at Home Services. More »

As part of our GP Well-being program, we held a movie night at the Regent Gold Class cinema on October 8th. More »

A review of the  Pharmacy Guild statistics of HMR claims in the Ballarat area indicates that GPs are missing out on payments for HMRs. More »

Two new services this month; cardiac & pulmonary rehab, and myotherapy. More »

As required by ACHS, and in response to reported issues, we have reviewed our Medication Chart over the previous year. As a result, a new BDNH Medication Chart, in line with the National Inpatient Chart now utilised across all Australian public hospitals, has been developed for use in the community setting. More »

No room for a practice nurse? Consider contracting a local nursing service. Dr Chris Millar’s recent experience was a positive one. More »

The phrase “cleaning up your data” might strike fear into you and your practice team, but do you really understand what it is, and why it is so important? More »

Talei Deacon, Practice Manager at UFS Medical Centre, won an Apple iPhone in the recent Argus special prize draw. More »

The poor health of Australia and Torres Strait Islander people has been compared to problems of the third world. Help close the gap. More »

Dr Malcolm Anderson has been appointed to the position of GP Liaison Consultant. Dr Anderson has had over 30 years experience as a GP practising within the West Vic region, and was also on the West Vic Division Board of Management. More »

People with low self esteem start a story about themselves that they repeat over in their minds. They then believe this to be the truth about themselves. At Ballarat Community Health we run a self-esteem program for adults called “Build It! Self Esteem”. More »

[Please note that this article is now obsolete] By now you should have received your package of materials for the upcoming BDDGP AGM. In it you will find a number of proposed changes to BDDGP’s Constitution. A 75% vote of present / proxy members will be needed to make any of these changes, so it is important that you be given the chance to understand the Board’s rationale for change. More »

BHS are in the process of implementing the BOSSnet Digital Medical Record. A component of the system will be electronic discharge summaries via Argus secure messaging. More »

The AMA have just advised that some GPs providing services to residents in aged care facilities are missing out on their visits being counted towards the Aged Care Access Initiative incentive payments, because (a) the GP must work from a practice participating in the PIP and (b) GPs are not claiming these visits using their PIP linked Medicare provider number of an accredited practice. More »

The DAFNE (dose adjustment for normal eating) program aims to enable individuals with Type 1 diabetes the ability to have a flexible lifestyle. By using equations, patients can adapt insulin doses appropriate to lifestyle choices to ensure more predictable blood glucose levels, giving the individual a greater sense of personal control. More »

The GP-based HPV vaccination program for women aged 18-26 is coming to an end. Practices need to identify patients who have only had 1 or 2 doses NOW! More »

We’ve been funded to trial a project to extend access to allied health services. Our model aims to improve timely access to allied health services by means of the MBS for EPC plans. To distinguish this service from our other services, we’ve given it a separate name – Ballarat Primary Care. More »