Industry News
A Patient Perspective of Diagnostic Imaging: Challenges for Patients
Indexation and the Patient Gap The freeze on diagnostic imaging Medicare rebates has had a significant impact on the affordability of diagnostic imaging for patients. Currently in its 17th year, the freeze on indexation has resulted in the real value of diagnostic imaging Medicare rebates falling, in some cases, by almost 50 per cent. This has resulted in patients paying consistently higher gaps each year, making diagnostic imaging service costs increasingly prohibitive. Figure 4 reveals the rise in patient gaps for each modality, with the average patient gap rising by over 50% in the last six years. [ + ]
Aged Care Sector Delivers Budget
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has been leading the charge on the current updates to the Aged Care changes that will take effect from 1 July 2015. Providers are required to be registered through the My Aged Care portal for receiving and managing service referrals. [ + ]
Medical Community Tackles Domestic Violence
Emergency departments personnel, general practitioners and community nurses are often the first to see signs of abuse, and so the Australian medical profession is committing its resources to addressing domestic violence in the community. [ + ]
The Conversation: Three Ethical Ways to Increase Organ Donation in Australia
Australia’s organ donation levels are low by international standards. At least twenty countries achieve better donation rates than Australia’s 16.1 donors per million population (DPMP), including Belgium (29.9 DPMP), the United States (25.9), France (25.5) and the United Kingdom (20.8). [ + ]
Department of Health Slashes Prices of PBS Generics
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley last night announced agreements with the Generic Medicines industry Association (GMiA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia which will reduce the price of generic medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and lead to a greater involvement in public health service consultations on the part of pharmacists. [ + ]
Studying Down Syndrome Might Help us Understand Alzheimer’s Disease Better
The following article appeared on The Conversation and has been published below with permission. [ + ]
Tropfest Competition Focusing on Antibiotic Resistance
Calling all filmmakers: This year’s Tropfest has teamed up with the NPS MedicineWise to run a community service announcement film competition educating the public on the issue of antibiotic resistance. The winners will share a prize pool of $10,000 in cash. [ + ]
NPS Choosing Wisely: A Case Study
The NPS MedicineWise Choosing Wisely campaign was unveiled this week and while we will be covering it in our upcoming print edition, we have obtained an op-ed discussing the reasoning behind the initiative. [ + ]
Climate Change is Bad For Your Health
The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) yesterday released a report detailing its concerns on the effects of climate change on Australians by the end of the century. Key concerns identified were weather; food and water availability; and jobs and livelihoods, [ + ]
Federal Court rules AMI exploited customers
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has welcomed today’s Federal Court decision that Advanced Medical Institute (AMI) had engaged in ‘unconscionable conduct’ in the provision of their men’s sexual dysfunction treatments. [ + ]
Darwin to Host Rural Health Conference
Darwin will host the 13th National Rural Health Conference next month with thanks to Australia’s most famous rural health provider, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. [ + ]
