The new GPCCMPs, introduced at the beginning of July, were the subject of a recent AMA webinar.
A recent AMA webinar has outlined how general practice can best utilise the GP chronic condition management plan (GPCCMP).
GPCCMPs have been highly topical as of late given the health sector’s focus on the looming pressures of chronic disease management and development of preventive care.
“I think it’s particularly timely given that what we’re talking about today is changes to items that are really about the whole of health of a person,” AMA President Danielle McMullen stated.
“Whenever we learn about Indigenous health, and from our Indigenous colleagues we learn that medicine and wellness should be about the whole person and not about just specific diseases.
“I think that’s the spirit of the chronic disease management item changes.”
The changes to chronic condition management were first announced in the 2023-24 budget but were only put into practice last month.
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The new GPCCMPs implement recommendations from the MBS review taskforce to “incentivise reviews and to flatten out the rebate structure,” according to Department of Health, Disability and Ageing assistant secretary of the MBS policy Louise Riley.
“We had an implementation liaison group which included representatives of the AMA, RACGP, ACRRM and others, and a consumer, which helped us with a lot of the comms materials, item descriptors and information that supports the implementation of the items.”
Multidisciplinary care was also a focal point of the webinar, with panellists outlining where the new format allows for the patient to manage the conditions and access to specialist services or services outside of the MBS framework.
“Under the new arrangement, there’s a little bit more emphasis on shared decision making, actions to be taken by the patient,” DoHDA director of general practice in MBS policy Imogen Colton stated.
“So now you just need to document the treatments and services the patient will be referred to, and there is no longer that requirement to write. Allied health providers, for example, and have them respond back and confirm they’ll be part of the plan
“The next change is that if the patient is going to be referred to a member as just a wording change.
“You’ve always required the patient’s consent to share relevant information and parts of the plan.
“That is recognising that not every patient who would benefit from having a plan will need a multi-disciplinary team.”
Another major change from the plan was the revision of how the management plans are reviewed with a transition to ongoing reviews based on patient need rather than time-based metrics.
