How to access the new chronic wound scheme

3 minute read


It’s been a two-year wait, but the wound care consumables scheme has finally launched. Now comes the training.


GPs can now bulk-bill chronic wound patients without having to sacrifice the cost of consumables, as the long-awaited government funded scheme officially kicks off.

Under the new initiative, GPs and practice nurses who have chronic wound patients will be able to order wound care products for their patients through an online portal.

The consumables are then delivered to either the patient’s home or the GP practice directly.

Health minister Mark Butler called it a “convenient and free service”.

It’s a solution to a years-long dilemma; chronic wounds are most likely to affect older Australians in need of bulk-billing, but Medicare prohibits GPs from raising any additional charges when bulk-billing.

This includes the price of the adhesives, bandages and dressings used to treat chronic wounds.

Until now, GPs have had to choose between charging patients the full out-of-pocket cost to cover the price of consumables or subsidise the cost of those consumables out of their own pocket.

“First of all, [a chronic wound] can be painful,” Wounds Australia CEO Jeff Antcliff told The Medical Republic.

“Secondly, it can be embarrassing. Thirdly, it can be socially isolating. And fourthly, it is actually expensive.”

On average, patients with a chronic wound pay about $4000 out of pocket on consumables each year.

RACGP vice president Dr Ramya Raman said the college was pleased that the needs of patients had been heard.

In terms of the ordering system, which appears to work on a patient-by-patient basis – i.e. the practice orders in only the exact materials needed to treat each patient – Dr Raman said the college did not want to see any additional red tape.

“The process of … the ordering – I think time will tell, in relation to the effectiveness of it,” she told TMR.

“But as a practising GP and someone who is looking after patients … we’re trying to ensure that there’s not an excessive amount of barriers in accessing some of these very basic things.”

The scheme is only open to patients who have diabetes, are 65 years or older and do not currently receive wound care funding through the NDIS, DVA, residential aged care home, public hospitals or state-run community health services.

It is also open to First Nations people who are 50 years or older.

To access the scheme, though, health practitioners must do an online course run through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

According to the department, more than 3500 healthcare professionals have already registered to undertake the training.

Access to the portal and information on how the ordering system works is provided as part of the training.

Besides GPs and practice nurses, the program is also open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners, nurse practitioners and podiatrists.

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