Urgent care clinics to get $1.8bn budget sugar hit, by Cate Swannell. UCCs are now a permanent fixture, says the PM. But wouldn’t it be great if government could take the same proactive approach to background funding for ‘normal’ general practice. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/urgent-care-...

‘Nudge’ tactics not always useful, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The measure of success for compliance letter campaigns is often a reduction in prescribing volume, rather than appropriateness of care. That’s not very patient-focussed now, is it? www.medicalrepublic.com.au/nudge-tactic... #medsky

Specialist fees a ‘BBQ stopper’: Butler, by Caitlin Wright. Labor will ‘test the boundaries’ of the Constitution when it comes to curbing high out-of-pocket specialist costs. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/specialist-f... #medsky

When is a bulk billing clinic not a bulk billing clinic? By @hollypayne.bsky.social. When it is supported by other funding sources, of course. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/when-is-a-bu... #medsky

RACP members speak out after failed EGM, by Euan Kielly. RACP members fear for the college’s future, with anticipation building in the leadup to the incoming board election. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/racp-members... #medsky

How do you escape the 80/20 rule? By @hollypayne.bsky.social. In January and February alone, the PSR ordered various practitioners to repay more than $3 million. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/how-do-you-e... #medsky

Chaos erupts at RACP vote to oust president, by Euan Kielly. Just when it looked to be burning out, the RACP leadership spill has seen yet another twist. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/has-the-racp... #medsky

Pharmacists gain s8 prescribing endorsement in AHPRA plan, by Holly Payne. Consultation on the proposed national pharmacist prescribing standard has opened. Let the games begin. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/pharmacists-... #medsky

Free RSV jab rollout for older Aussies welcomed, by Amanda Sheppeard. Health leaders say the program will save lives and ease pressure on hospitals. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/free-rsv-jab... #medsky

Private billing name-and-shame is ‘gutless politics’: AMA Tasmania, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. A federal politician’s ‘disappointing political stunt’ will likely increase patient aggression toward general practice staff in the island state. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/private-bill... #medsky

Quinlivan v Kitchen PSR case back in court, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The former PSR director’s counsel is not contesting the finding that she didn’t read Dr Kitchen’s submission. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/quinlivan-v-... #medsky

Pharmacists to ‘take pressure off GPs’ by prescribing contraceptives, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. From June, NSW pharmacists will be allowed to initiate the oral contraceptive pill for women rather than just issue a resupply. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/pharmacists-... #medsky

ATO and AHPRA flossing out dodgy dental claims, by Euan Kielly. Using super funds to pay for dental treatment has come with a united warning by the health and financial regulators. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/ato-and-ahpr... #medsky

Clinical supervisors aren’t a nice-to-have, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. But from the way they get remunerated, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/clinical-sup... #medsky

80% of pharmacists ‘treated’ UTI in past six months, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. Despite seemingly high uptake of pharmacist-led prescribing services, most pharmacists say patients are not fully aware of the range of ‘full scope’ services they provide. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/80-of-pharma...

Rural clinics more likely to switch to universal bulk billing, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. But we’re still missing data on what that has meant for the way rural doctors are practising. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/rural-clinic... #medsky

Saving money on fuel to save more lives, by Euan Kielly. Both the AMA SA and AMAQ are calling for reform to travel subsidies to ease patient anxiety. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/saving-money... #medsky

New AHPRA panel to review suicides, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The regulator is acting on a 2023 recommendation to learn from the experiences of practitioners who have been on the receiving end of a notification. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/new-ahpra-pa... #medsky

Medicare mental health telehealth changes worsen access and ‘miss their target’, by Mariella Attard. Bring the exemptions back, witnesses tell senate inquiry. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/medicare-men... #medsky

DoHDA encouraged to pursue more ‘coherent’ cardiac imaging rules, by Holly Payne. Shall we give GPs education about when to claim an item? Nah, just make the claiming process needlessly complex instead. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/dohda-encour... #medsky

AMA looks to tighten up medical cost finder bill, by Euan Kielly. The medical association is calling for narrower definitions for the information doctors must publish about their fees. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/ama-looks-to... #medsky

Spectre of pharmacy prescribing looms over NT, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The territory AMA has come out guns blazing but the RACGP has taken a more diplomatic approach. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/spectre-of-p... #medsky

RACGP worries that cobbled together laws will ruin context, by Euan Kielly. The college fears new legislation could lead to patient misinterpretation of billing data. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/racgp-worrie... #medsky

Just one in three patients have heard of MyMedicare, by Holly Payne and Helen Tobler. The ambitious voluntary patient enrolment scheme appears to have stalled. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/just-one-in-... #medsky

Guild pitches PBS prescribing rights, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The pharmacy owners’ association is once again taking a big swing. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/guild-pitche... #medsky

Will this new Australian AI evidence layer reshape GP workflows and CPD? By Jeremy Knibbs. MedLuma is an Australian-centric clinical AI decision support and education platform that signals a significant shift in how doctors document and prove competence. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/will-this-ne...

What’s the price of keeping Canberra healthy? By Euan Kielly. The answer is somewhere around the $24.3 million mark, which is what the federal government dished out in grant money to save bulk billing practices in the area. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/whats-the-pr... #medsky

The controversial ‘low hanging fruit’ which could cut hospital waits, by Holly Payne. A secondary consultation system could cut up to 70,000 GP-to-specialist referrals per year in Australia. So why are GPs in the NHS pushing back on a similar program? www.medicalrepublic.com.au/the-controve...

Telehealth tops DoHDA’s compliance priorities list, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. Doctors who bill the MBS and PBS while working for on-demand telehealth platforms will find themselves under the proverbial microscope this year. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/telehealth-t... #telehealth

When convenience replaces care in women’s health, by Dr Elizabeth Jackson. The illusion of simplicity in modern health policy. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/when-conveni... #medsky

The uncomfortable truth about power, silence and accountability in medicine, by Caitlin Wright. Dr Dominique Lee says hospitals must confront the power structures that allow harm to continue. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/the-uncomfor... #medsky

Money talks, health talks louder: RACGP, by Euan Kielly. With the NSW budget set to drop in June, the RACGP has had its say on how health funding should be allocated. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/money-talks-... #medsky

One in, one out: RACP begins its latest EGM, by Euan Kielly. Voting on the RACP’s fifth EGM in six months is set to kick off this Friday amidst long-standing board instability. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/one-in-one-o... #medsky

Get political or face the consequences, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. Why the Australian Society of General Practice sees an opportunity to influence the next Victorian state election. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/get-politica... #medsky

How much should pharmacy students know about prescribing? By @hollypayne.bsky.social. The AMA doesn’t deny that healthcare is increasingly difficult to access, but it does question why the government seems laser-focussed on one solution only. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/how-much-sho... #medsky

Pharma company jumps the gun on children’s obesity, by Euan Kielly. The idea to use GLP-1s to treat childhood obesity should be relegated to the backburner, says the RACGP. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/pharma-compa... #medsky

Indefinite referrals would likely backfire, AMA warns, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. Cutting out mandatory GP reconnection points is almost certainly a bad idea. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/indefinite-r... #medsky

GP who championed the marginalised retires after 35 years, by Euan Kielly. Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo has announced her retirement after decades of service as a general practitioner. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/gp-who-champ... #medsky

Guild’s vision for pharmacists to ‘administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, sell, supply’ s8 drugs, by Holly Payne. Professor Trent Twomey says prescribing is ‘the right – and only – direction’ for the profession. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/guilds-visio... #medsky

Chronic fatigue over chronic fatigue reform, by Euan Kielly. A parliament hearing has heard from ME/CFS advocates on where and how healthcare needs to step up to address the under-recognised field. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/chronic-fati... #medsky

Why are some GPs more likely to burn out? By Helen Tobler. Burnout is a late-stage reaction to chronic stress, an Australian researcher says. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/why-are-some... #medsky

TGA advice falls on deaf ears in Victoria, by Euan Kielly. Expanded contraceptive prescribing rights for pharmacists down south has stirred up quite the commotion. medicalrepublic.com.au/tga-advice-f... #medsky

Gap-only payment scheme a $3.9m burden, says RACGP, by @hollypayne.bsky.social. The college has taken specific issue with the government’s proposed 90-day delay on reimbursing doctors for eligible gap-only services. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/gap-only-pay... #medsky

Telehealth gets ‘national standards’. Just don’t ask who’s enforcing them, by Caitlin Wright. So-called ‘national’ standards remain more aspiration than regulation. But it’s a good start, say the developers. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/telehealth-g... #medsky

Queensland puts the handbrake on for e-bikes, by Euan Kielly. A ban on under 16s riding e-vehicles has been announced after a parliamentary inquiry into safety. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/queensland-p... #medsky

Aged care residents do better with their regular GP, but …, by Cate Swannell. ... Not even big money and friendly hours can convince GPs, particularly the younger ones, to commit to the complex care and technological barriers of working in aged care. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/aged-care-re...

Queensland mishandles ‘double-edged sword’ of drug laws, by Euan Kielly. The state government has announced repeals on drug diversion legislation to the dismay of addiction specialists who say the program is working. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/queensland-m... #medsky

RACGP and 20 friends take long consult funding reform fight to Canberra, by Euan Kielly. Led by the college, an open letter to Parliament has outlined a reform push to increase rebates for longer GP consultations. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/racgp-and-20... #medsky

Inflight emergency: You don’t have to be perfect to be useful, by Dr Jillann Farmer. Do what you can, be honest about what you can't and don't be afraid to make the call to recommend that they land the plane. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/inflight-eme... #medsky

RACP bombshell: president-elect drops Fair Work bullying case, by Euan Kielly. Dr Sharmila Chandran says delays to the FWC hearing have rendered the process pointless. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/racp-bombshe... #medsky