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$6660 fine for not reporting vaccination

Amid concerns over the Covid vaccine roll-out, the Federal Government has mandated that from 1 March, all vaccine providers will be required to report influenza vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and report all other National Immunisation Program vaccinations from 1 July on pain of a $6660 fine for failing to do so.

Comment on the new provisions suggest general support for the need to register, but opposition to the draconian fine for not doing so, with one GP describing the fine as “unbelievable”.

Without change vaccine roll-out will stress practices

By the AGPA Web Team

It appears that Australian general practices will face quite a deal of stress, financial and otherwise, in the roll-out of the Covid vaccination program.

Nearly 5000 general practices have applied to take part in what is to be one of the nation’s largest logistical exercise – the vaccination of everyone in the nation over 16 by the end of October.

General practices want to be on the frontline of the roll-out, but many questions remain unanswered.

Aged Care recommendations a worry for GPs

By the AGPA Web Team

Among the many sweeping recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care are a couple of specific recommendations that directly affect GPs and medical practices that could be inconvenient and costly at best and harmful at worse.

The Federal Government would do well to consult more widely before adopting them.

The recommendations relate to a new model for the way that medical practices are paid and limiting prescribing capacity of GPs to people in aged care.

Primary care: AGPA rep’s latest

Update from Dr Maria Boulton, AGPA Representative, Primary Care Implementation Group (PCIG) for Week Ending 5 march 2021

Primary Health Care COVID-19 Response Teleconference 3 March 2021.

[Web Team’s Key point: Roll-out to be done in a large number of places with smaller numbers of doses in each rather than a smaller number of places with large numbers of doses as recommended by AGPA in January (https://australiangpalliance.com.au/2021/01/30/inadequate-government-funding-will-slow-delivery-of-covid-19-vaccinations/) because this mirrors the nature of primary care in Australia.]

Research into telehealth and chronic disease

A team of 4th year medical students from the University of Newcastle and University of New England are seeking help from Australian GPs in conducting research about telehealth and chronic disease management (CDM).

Inadequate Government Funding will Slow Delivery of COVID 19 Vaccinations

Media Release 29 January 2021

The Australian General Practice Alliance (AGPA) is concerned that the failure to utilise the full power of General Practice under the current phase 1b vaccination program will delay the COVID 19 vaccine rollout and impact on its effectiveness.

The Australian General Practice Alliance believes that vaccination by a person’s ‘own” GP as part of a holistic and safe primary healthcare approach is the best way to deliver COVID […]

Dept renews action on pathology rent compliance

By an AGPA writer

Medical Practices which rent rooms to pathology and/or imaging businesses can expect renewed compliance activity by the Department of Health in 2021 after a lull during the Covid pandemic. But there are a couple of legal obstacles for the department which might help practices. These will be explained later.