September - APNA

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Member questions – continued
• 01/07/2012: 23%
• 01/07/2013: 24%
• 01/07/2010: 25%
You can contact the ANF for further advice on
pay and conditions.
I have a keen interest in Well Women’s Health
and, more specifically, incontinence. I have been
furthering my education in this field by completing
the Benchmarque course in Continence
Management and a Pauline Chiarelli Workshop.
As a result, I feel confident in promoting,
discussing and educating women on this health
condition. The practice GPs refer women to me
for consultation. The issue is what do we ‘bill’
them to still be ‘legal’ How can we work it out
so it is of benefit to everyone
This is exactly the issue we have been arguing
for in the restriction of the current MBS PN
item numbers. The only way you can ‘bill’ for
incontinence services is by including the GP in
the consult so that he/she can bill through a
normal GP consult or you can privately bill for
this service — which is uncommon, but quite
OK (frequently done in New Zealand).
The intention of the new PN funding incentive
coming in 2012 is to allow a flexible funding
model through which nurses can provide a range
of clinical services without having to involve GPs
for the purpose of billing. There is a high degree
of opposition to this model of funding from the
GPs and there will be a lot of working out to do
in its implementation.
You must not get ‘legal’ and ‘billing’ confused.
You are legally able to provide the care in which
you have been trained and are competent to do.
Whether it can be funded is a different matter —
the ‘for and on behalf of’ type of language in the
MBS is not a legal ruling for the GPs.
As a PN, I can see a huge advantage in the removal
of ‘task based’ item numbers. Unfortunately, the
majority of GPs only see the bottom line. Our GPs
have already starting talking about reducing
nursing hours as this has also come at the same
time as when they are getting significantly less
income due to the changes in health assessment
funding. Are larger practices going to be
disadvantaged financially from the proposed
changes
Larger practices are potentially going be
disadvantaged under the new proposal due to
the capping at 5 EFT GPs. However, we will have
the opportunity to argue for increasing the cap
through the advisory group process and both the
medical and nursing groups agree on this point.
In addition there is a commitment that if the
practice can demonstrate that it will be
disadvantaged under the new system, it can be
grandfathered into the scheme over three years.
This would provide plenty of time to assess the
operational benefits and disadvantages. GPs who
currently receive a percentage of the PN item
numbers as income (contractor or employee GPs)
will have a reduction in income. However, if the
overall income to the practice is increased, the
practice can revisit their contracts with those GPs
and amend these to ensure no loss of income.
There will be grandfathering arrangements for
the first three years of the program to ensure
that practices are not adversely impacted by the
restructure of the Practice Incentive Program
practice nurse incentive and the MBS practice
nurse items.
alginate gel with enzymes that kill absorbed bacteria 1
Advanced technology wound care with 3 clinical benefits
• Moist wound environment • Continuous auto-debridement • Broad spectrum anti-bacterial activity 1
Grade 2 leg skin tear treated with Flaminal ® Hydro 2
Day 0 Day 30
Day 68
www.flaminalaustralia.com
alginate gel with enzymes that
kill absorbed bacteria 1
[1] White R. ‘Flaminal: A novel approach to wound bioburden control’, Wounds UK 2006, 2 (3): 64–69. [2] Data on file at Flen Pharma. FD10019
4
Flen Pharma NV
Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Limited
Blauwesteenstraat 87, B-2550 Kontich, Belgium
ABN 51 096 236 985
www.flenpharma.com
34–36 Chandos Street, St Leonards NSW 2065
Primary Times September 2010 ® : Trademark of Flen Pharma Ph +61 2 8436 8300 ■ www.aspenpharma.com.au