Practice Management and MBS
Last updated August 10, 2022
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Practice managers are key agents of change who are uniquely positioned to lead practice teams towards a proactive approach to care provision. Here you will find resources and information that will assist your practice to optimise business and patient health outcomes.
Fundamental to this is the need to ensure practices are built on:
- Excellent customer service
- A positive practice culture
- Strong engagement strategies
- The ability to adapt to change
- Data driven and evidence-based decisions that directly impact operational and financial systems management
- An understanding & knowledge of the Medical Benefits Scheme
- Compliance activities focused on early intervention, prevention, and review to ensure correct entitlements are claimed
- Assistance and support to ensure the practice clinicians and staff meet their obligations and responsibilities in providing care to the community.
For Practice Management and MBS support please contact your Primary Care Improvement Officer (PCIO).
Data and Dashboard
Data Extraction
The PHN provides free licencing to the PenCS suite of products (It combines platforms of the Clinical Audit Tool (CAT4), PAT CAT and Topbar) for the extraction of data from general practices to support with:
- Quality Improvement
- Accreditation standards
- Practice Incentive Program (PIP) Quality Improvement (QI)
- Population Health planning/support (Comprehensive General Dashboard Reports).
It is compatible with most of the General Practice Clinical Information Systems (CIS). All identifiable data extracted from a Clinical Information System using CAT Plus is securely stored within the practice and not moved offsite.
For more information on the PenCS suite of tools please visit https://www.pencs.com.au/ and for more information and support with General Practice Data please contact your PCIO.
Quality Improvement
Record Templates
Practical Examples
Fundamentals Guide
Improvement Toolkit
The Patient
Community of Practice
Join the Practice Management and MBS Community of Practice
This PHN’s Communities of Practice (CoP) are open to primary care providers within the Hunter, New England & Central Coast Primary Health Network region to share ideas and resources to support quality improvement activities
Anyone associated with a primary care organisation in the Hunter, New England and Central Coaswt regions is welcome to request membership of the CoP.
Evidence of employment in a primary care organisation or evidence of working closely with primary care clinicians will be required
Please note that any resources contributed to this site can be viewed by members of that CoP and by sharing them you agree that others can use and adapt them freely.
To join the Community of Practice for Practice Management, please email Donna Block at dblock@thephn.com.au or for MBS, please email Heidi Avery at havery@thephn.com.au.
Resources
The PHN recorded education library
Hunter New England HealthPathways
Hunter New England PatientInfo
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Australian Medical Association
Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM)
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Responsible for awarding accreditation to health care service organisations to provide assurance to the community that an organisation meets expected patient safety and quality standards.
Medical Benefits Schedule Online (MBS)
The Medicare Benefits Schedule (the MBS) is a list of the medical services for which the Australian Government will pay a Medicare rebate, to provide patients with financial assistance towards the costs of their medical services.
Medicare is the Commonwealth-funded health insurance scheme that provides free subsidised health care services to the Australia population. It was established in 1984 under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and is a universal system with the goal of providing Australians with affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care.
Access this site for information to support:
- Organisations
- Health Professionals
- Practice Managers
- PRODA/HPOS
- Practice Incentive Programs (PIP)
- Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Doctor Stream & Practice Stream
- Medicare Claims/eBusiness
- Digital Health
- Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
- Health Identifiers Service
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Access this site for information on:
- COVID-19 rollout, information and resources
- Mental Health suicide and prevention
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- Aged Care reforms
- Budget 2021-22
- Doctor Connect
- Health Workforce.