4 May Elective surgery restrictions eased May 4, 2020 By Danielle Cranefield Announcement, Department of Health 0 The Australian Government in partnership with states and territories, peak surgical bodies, the AMA and the private hospital sector will be increasing the availability of elective surgery in a safe and carefully considered way which ensures the wellbeing of both patients and healthcare workers. Reintroduction of elective surgery will be done using a staged and controlled process which balances the ongoing need for the capacity to treat COVID-19 patients, while allowing hospitals to treat elective surgery patients. This first stage of reinstating elective surgeries will require health administrators to monitor supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), ICU and bed capacity, while preparing for the next phase. The Australian, state and territory governments have put in place clear timeframes to monitor and review the situation as part of their commitment to protect patients, health care staff and consistent with AHPPC advice. Read More Related Articles Permitted Work Premises under Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions Increased use of My Health Record by healthcare providers Work permissions and restrictions framework for workers in healthcare settings GP incentives increased to enrol DVA clients The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has increased incentive payments for General Practitioners (GPs) to enrol eligible patients in the Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) program. The benefits of enrolling your patients, including reduced hospital admissions, were recently highlighted in an in-depth evaluation of the program. GP clinics receive an initial incentive payment to enrol eligible DVA clients, then quarterly care payments thereafter. The new DVA fee schedule for CVC claims, including an increase in payments, came into effect on 1 July 2018. Webinar: Changes to MBS effective 01 November 2020 Have your say on the draft Acute Anaphylaxis Clinical Care Standard Comments are closed.