PCD Strategy Evaluation 2007.pdf - NT Health Digital Library ...

Rebates for participating or arranging multidisciplinary case conferences for patients withcomplex care needsFrom May 2004, an additional item for two-yearly health checks for Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people aged 15-45 years was introduced (Item 710). In May 2006 this list was extendedto include a child health screening (Item 708) and work is currently underway in 2007, todevelop a Medicare item for antenatal care.EPC items can be claimed by NTDH&CS remote health services and Aboriginal health services. Inthese cases the rebates do not go back to the practitioner, since practitioners are usuallysalaried, but instead go back to their employer. This has allowed increased Medicare funding toreturn to the Territory, potentially addressing imbalances pointed out in the 1996-07 THS AnnualReport quoted above.The uptake of Medicare EPC items by GPs increased from 23 per cent in quarter four in 2000, to46 per cent in quarter two in 2002, and remained at 44 per cent during the following twoquarters Figure 3.6. The lowest uptake was in the NT. In 2004 the estimated Divisional take upwas 33 per cent in the Top End and 46 per cent in Central Australia, accounting for a total of 394adult health checks, item 710, claimed for NT Aboriginal adults during this year (76) . Data afterthis date is not published or is labelled by Medicare as „not for publication‟.Figure 3.6Percentage of „active' GPs using Medicare EPC items by State and Territory,December quarter 2002. (66)The need to maximise funding opportunities and provide better chronic disease care has lead theremote services of the NTDH&CS to increase their use of the EPC care planning items. Dataavailable does not tease out whether these items have been used more remotely or in urbanenvironments, however between the March quarter of 2004 and the December quarter of 2004the uptake of these items in the NT more than doubled from 313 to 662. Additional sourcingChapter 3: Progress Against PCDS Objectives – Evaluation of the NT Preventable Chronic Disease Strategy 2007 69