Best Practice Software

How To Save Time With Bulk Verifications In Bp Premier

Leverage Bp Premier’s Bulk Verifications to reduce administrative burden and cut down on Medicare rejections due to incorrect Medicare Card details.

Best Practice integrates directly with Medicare for several functions, one of which is verifying your patients’ card details. You can individually verify your patients, but why perform individual checks when you can verify Medicare details in bulk? This feature is easy to use, will check all your patients for the day and could save you a lot of time.

So, how do I use it? From the appointment book screen, select Utilities > Bulk patient verification, and you will see this screen.

Bp Premier Screenshot

On this screen, you will select the parameters for the patient appointments you are searching for.

For example, you might like to run this utility at the start of the day for all of today’s appointments. In that case, you would click Select All to tick all your providers and make sure today’s date is selected in the calendar picker. Once you have chosen your parameters, click OK.

Bp Premier Screenshot

The next screen you see will give you a list of patients with appointments, and you can click Verify. Bp Premier will then connect to Medicare Web Services, check the Medicare card details for each patient in the list, and return a response.

If the patient’s card details are correct, no action is required. If their card details are incorrect, you can right-click on a patient in the list and click view details to open their patient demographics and record an appointment note. Appointment notes will pop up when arriving the patient, so we can get their Medicare card from them and update their details when they arrive at the practice instead of having to chase them. Sometimes, you will see a response from Medicare that looks like this.

Bp Premier Screenshot

If you do see this, it means that the patient’s details were not an exact match, but Medicare was able to match the details we have with the correct patient and has returned this updated card number to us. This might happen in cases where a Medicare card has expired, and just the last digit has changed. This is a super convenient feature; we can tick the box next to Medicare No and click update, which will open the patient demographics and automatically update the Medicare card for us! We can then click save in the patient demographics window, which will save the details and let us know if other patients in our database are on the old Medicare card we just updated. 

Bp Premier Screenshot

We will see this screen if other patients are on the same outdated Medicare card. From this screen, we can review the patients and click update to update an entire family on the new Medicare card in one click. This excellent time-saving feature ensures your patients have the correct details recorded.

Ultimately if you are bulk billing, you will get rejections from Medicare at some point. However, utilising the bulk patient verification utility will ensure that you have accurate data recorded and greatly reduce the number of rejections you receive from Medicare. This will save you time and ensure you receive rebates from Medicare as soon as possible.

Authored by:

Xanthe Kapczynski
Training and Deployment Specialist at Best Practice Software

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Mastering Chronic Disease Management: A Look At Practice Benchmarks And How To Grow

Chronic Disease Management Blog Graphic

Delving into the realm of Chronic Disease Management (CDM), the past two years have seen remarkable progress in practices, with a focus on mastering the intricacies of this vital aspect of healthcare provision. Through the lens of Cubiko’s general practice benchmarking, we uncover the evolution of strategies and outcomes in managing chronic conditions. From utilising templates within Best Practice Premier to exploring innovative tools like the Actions feature for enhanced patient care, this exploration aims to equip Practice Managers with insights and benchmarks to elevate their CDM practices to new heights.

Introduction to Chronic Disease Management

Importance of Effective Chronic Disease Management

Effective Chronic Disease Management (CDM) is crucial for enhancing the quality of life for patients, reducing the progression of diseases, and optimising the use of healthcare resources. With a growing number of individuals living with chronic conditions, the burden on the healthcare system intensifies. Implementing robust CDM practices can lead to improved health outcomes by ensuring regular monitoring and tailored care plans. Moreover, CDM items such as the 721, 723, 732 are well funded by the government and can have a positive impact on a General Practitioner’s billings. With the right management protocols in place, practices can also ensure compliance with healthcare standards and improve patient satisfaction. Ultimately, effective CDM is not just about managing symptoms, but also about empowering patients to take an active role in their health.

Evolution of Chronic Disease Management

Chronic Disease Management (CDM) has evolved significantly, shifting from reactive to proactive and patient-centered care. Traditionally, the focus was on managing acute flare-ups rather than preventing them. However, the past years have seen a transition towards a more holistic approach that includes prevention, early detection, and comprehensive management. The integration of technology into healthcare has been a game-changer, with data analytics playing pivotal roles in identifying patients who may be eligible for services. Furthermore, there has been a greater emphasis on multidisciplinary teams collaborating to provide care, which has been shown to improve outcomes for chronic disease patients. Patient education and self-management are now recognised as essential components of CDM, empowering individuals to take control of their health and reducing long-term healthcare costs.

Chronic Disease Management: A Two-Year Benchmark Review

Insights From The Last Two Years

Over the last two years, Chronic Disease Management (CDM) has seen considerable growth and innovation. Data from Cubiko’s Touchstone Report reveals an uptick in the adoption of GP management plans, indicating a broader acceptance of structured CDM strategies. Practices are leveraging technology like never before, utilising tools for better patient identification and follow-up. These insights showcase not only the commitment of healthcare providers to elevate CDM but also the tangible benefits such advancements bring to patient care and practice efficiency.

Recent data from Cubiko’s Touchstone report indicates a modest rise in both CDM-related billings and health assessments over the last two years, signalling a brighter spotlight on structured management strategies. Specifically, CDM’s share of billing averaged 10.59% in 2023, with health assessments contributing 2.63%. However, it’s important to note a downward trend in nurse-led services’ billing share, which decreased to 0.42% in 2023 from the previous year’s 0.56%.

Understanding Cubiko's General Practice Benchmarking

Cubiko’s general practice benchmarking offers valuable insights by aggregating data across various practices to identify trends and best practices in Chronic Disease Management (CDM). This benchmarking serves as a powerful tool for Practice Managers, providing a clear picture of how their practice compares to others in terms of CDM performance. It includes key metrics such as the number of care plans initiated, reviews conducted, and patient outcomes. By analysing this data, practices can pinpoint areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Benchmarks also facilitate goal setting and progress tracking over time. Understanding these benchmarks is critical for practices aiming to enhance their CDM strategies, as it provides a data-driven foundation for making informed decisions and implementing targeted interventions that can lead to better patient health and more efficient practice operations.

Utilising Templates for CDM Plans

Benefits Of Using Templates In The Word Processor

Using templates in the word processor for Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plans can significantly streamline the process for healthcare providers. These templates allow for a standardised approach to creating management plans, ensuring that all necessary information is consistently captured and nothing is overlooked. They also save time for general practitioners and practice managers by reducing the need to start from scratch for each patient plan. Templates can be customised to include practice-specific goals, interventions, and follow-up schedules, which helps maintain a high standard of care. This consistency in documentation not only improves the quality of patient care but also aids in compliance with healthcare regulations. Furthermore, templates facilitate easier sharing of information within a multidisciplinary team, leading to better-coordinated care and improved patient outcomes.

How To Effectively Use Bp For CDM Plans

Using Bp, or Best Practice Software, effectively for Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plans involves leveraging its full suite of features to create comprehensive and personalised care plans. Bp’s template feature allows for the creation of detailed CDM templates that can be easily adapted for individual patient needs. Within Bp, you can access a patient’s complete medical history, ensuring that the CDM plans are informed by the latest and most relevant information. It is also possible to set reminders for regular reviews and follow-ups, which are critical components of effective CDM. Additionally, Bp integrates with other healthcare systems, enabling seamless communication and coordination among different healthcare providers. By maximising the capabilities of Bp, Practice Managers can ensure that their practices deliver high-quality, consistent CDM, while also improving efficiency and reducing the administrative burden on healthcare professionals.

Utilising Templates for CDM Plans

Adding Notifications To The Clinical Record

Adding notifications to the clinical record is a powerful way to enhance Chronic Disease Management (CDM). By utilising the Actions feature in healthcare management software, practices can set up alerts for clinicians when they open a patient’s record. This can include reminders for necessary tests, follow-up appointments, or updates to a CDM plan. These notifications act as prompts, ensuring that important tasks are not overlooked and that the patient’s care plan is adhered to meticulously. For patients identified as eligible for certain CDM activities, this feature can streamline the process of providing timely interventions. Moreover, integrating these notifications within the clinical workflow can improve the efficiency of care delivery without adding to the administrative load. Effectively using the Actions feature helps maintain a high standard of patient care while optimising the use of clinician time.

Using Clinical Reminders For Patient Engagement

Clinical reminders are a key tool for patient engagement in Chronic Disease Management (CDM). With the Actions feature, practices can set up reminders not only for healthcare providers but also for patients. These reminders can prompt patients about upcoming appointments, medication refills, or necessary lifestyle changes. By actively involving patients in their own care, these reminders help increase their commitment to managing their condition. They also enhance communication between patients and the practice, building a relationship of trust and support. When patients receive timely and personalised reminders, they’re more likely to adhere to their management plans, which can lead to better health outcomes. The ability to automate these reminders ensures consistency and reduces the likelihood of human error, contributing to a more efficient and patient-cantered approach to CDM.

The Future Of Chronic Disease Management

How Cubiko Is Shaping The Future Of CDM

Cubiko is at the forefront of shaping the future of Chronic Disease Management (CDM) by providing advanced analytics and benchmarking tools tailored for general practices. These tools help practices to identify potential patients eligible for care, streamline operations, and ultimately provide better patient outcomes. Cubiko’s dashboards give real-time insights into patient populations, enabling practices to be proactive in their CDM approaches. With predictive analytics, Cubiko can assist practices in identifying patients at risk and ensure timely interventions. By leveraging Cubiko’s capabilities with Bp Premier, practice managers can lead their teams with confidence, knowing they are backed by robust data and are utilising the latest innovations in healthcare management to enhance their CDM strategies. 

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How Best Practice Can Help You Move From Bulk Billing To Mixed Billing

Mixed Billing Blog Graphic

The recent Touchstone report from Cubiko, a practice intelligence platform that integrates with Bp Premier, shows a sizeable shift in the healthcare landscape in Australia. In 2022, the number of GPs that were predominantly bulk billing patients was 60 per cent, but that figure has since dropped to only 26 per cent at the end of 2023, indicating a growing preference for mixed billing.

The Touchstone General Practice Industry Report draws from data spanning 811 practices across Australia, offering insights into industry trends, helping analyse practice performance and supporting informed decision-making in the General Practice landscape.

Despite the introduction of the triple bulk billing incentive in November 2023 leading to a noticeable increase in billings per hour, only one in four practices are now predominantly bulk billing. This represents a steep decline over the two years of data included in Cubiko’s report.

As of February 2024, Cubiko’s touchstone dataset is made up of predominantly 5-9 GP FTE and 75% predominantly mixed billing practices.

Interestingly, the introduction of the triple bulk billing incentive had a small yet measurable effect on the percentage of concessional patients who were bulk billed. This suggests that the incentive is working as expected, but it’s not enough to reverse the overall trend toward mixed billing.

Medical practices have also increased their fees over time, with the average private fee for a consultation rising from $72.92 in 2022 to $81.21 by December 2023, due to ongoing cost pressures.

There has been a slight increase in chronic disease management items, but a decrease in nurse-led billings and no-show rates have slightly increased for bulk billing practices, while slightly decreasing for mixed billing practices.

As expected, online appointment bookings have seen a modest rise from 17.5% to 24% between January 2022 and December 2023.

It’s clear that general practices are shifting towards mixed billing, and as the practice landscape continues to change, it will be interesting to monitor how this trend develops. But how can Bp help you move from predominantly bulk billing to mixed billing?

Using Cubiko and Bp Premier empowers your practice to perform at its best. Cubiko provides vital practice data, benchmarking this data for reporting capabilities to guide business decisions on bulk billing, mixed billing, mitigating risk, and maximising potential practice revenue.

Authored by:

Jesse Maddren
Content Developer at Best Practice Software

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Should I Let Patients Self-Book In? – The Novelty and Convenience of a Self-Service Economy

Self-service booking blog image

Across America, pink, LED-illuminated ATMs can be found affixed to streetside walls. Customers with cravings for sweet treats queue night and day, patiently waiting for their turn to swipe their bank cards. Rather than dispensing crisp dollar bills, however, these ATMs cut out the middleman and serve up freshly baked cupcakes. Open 24 hours a day, The Cupcake ATM has some of the best, freshest cupcakes to satisfy the cravings of sweet tooths; no matter the time of day. To stand out, these magical machines resemble what bank ATMs might look like if Barbie was their head of design.

However novel the idea of these machines may have been at their inception, they have now been around for over a decade. They, along with the now universal self-checkout isles at grocery stores, are just another sign of the rise of the self-service economy. This begs the question: should you enable online self-booking for your practice?

The short answer is yes, an online booking solution provides tangible benefits to both your business and your patients. The long answer is a tad more nuanced, and let’s sort out the details…

Cupcake ATM

Helping Patients Help Themselves

Late-night sugar cravings aside, have you ever woken up in the wee hours of the morning thinking about the appointment you forgot to book the day before? One of the top reasons to enable online booking is to capture appointments when your admin team is off-the-clock. Like you, most of our patients are also working 9-5, offering your patients the freedom to book their appointments is one of the clearest ways that you can help your patients help themselves.

In addition, it’s possible to do just about anything from a mobile device – order food, order a taxi, buy a plane ticket. It’s only natural that we also want the convenience of getting an immediate answer from a business, right? Even when a patient calls and leaves a voicemail, no appointment has been booked or confirmed. Nine times out of ten, you’re probably going to have to call them back. People want to be able to solve things by themselves. More and more people like the autonomy and freedom that self-service provides.

Telephonobia - It's A Thing, And It's More Common Than You Think.

What is telephonophobia? Also known as phone anxiety, telephonophobia refers to avoiding conversations over the phone. Talking on the phone can be daunting because of the absence of all other social cues – including gestures, body language, and eye contact. People can often feel self-conscious of the sound of their voice and choice of words. This phenomenon is most notable among younger adults, who grew up with texting and rarely had to make phone calls. People are increasingly becoming more reluctant to use their phone as a phone. Without an online booking solution, you might be doing your patients a disservice by leaving them with no other choice than to call you. 

When a patient can look at all the available options and book their own appointment at a time that best suits them, you are minimizing the communication gap with your customers. Look, select, book – easy as pie. Plus, with the added benefit of automated text message or email reminders, you can expect to see fewer patient no-shows in your practice. 

An online booking system for a doctor’s practice provides convenience, enhancing patient experience, much like online restaurant reservations have revolutionized dining. Just as diners can conveniently book a table from their phones at any time of day – regardless of whether the restaurant is open or not – patients can have the same ease in scheduling medical appointments. With an online booking system, patients can select appointment times that fit their schedule without any back and forth over the phone.  

Give 'Em The VIP Treatment

Best Practice Bookings, when paired with Bp Premier, you can opt not to share your online booking page publicly, and instead reserve it for your most trusted and loyal customers. It’s a little bit like a VIP pass for people who are already familiar with your practice.

Doctors on different schedules? No problem! You can configure your settings to their individual schedules. For example, Doctor Pyefinch does script refill appointments every Tuesday between 3 – 5 pm, and a skin check clinic every 2 weeks on a Monday between 9 – 11 am.

From automated Cupcake ATMs to online booking platforms in your practice, self-service technologies have revolutionized the way we interact with businesses and services. Is online patient bookings the automation that your practice is missing? Best Health Booking by Best Practice Software might be the icing on top of the cupcake that your practice needs! 

Authored by:

Lucy Saul
Marketing Specialist at Best Practice Software

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Dictate with Confidence and Implement Strategies to Improve Practice Efficiency

VoiceBox IT Blog Image

The ever-evolving landscape of healthcare is being significantly reshaped by technology. Gone are the days of overflowing inboxes, and mountains of paperwork and invoices. Today, a wave of innovative apps and software solutions are empowering healthcare professionals to streamline their workflows and maximise efficiency. These digital tools are not only saving valuable time, but also improving accuracy, communication, and overall patient care. Let’s explore how using a smartphone app helped to optimise the dictation and transcription for an Australian practice.

This large, well-established specialist practice had an admin team of 11 with two senior medical secretaries taking on the bulk of the practice typing. As the number of specialists grew, it became necessary to bolster the typing pool. The practice engaged an overseas typing agency with poor quality transcripts, lack of local nuance, and the idea that data visible outside of Australia potentially contravened Australian Privacy Principles.

The practice persevered with this inefficient, substandard overseas transcription solution as it was hard to find local typists who could work on a similar budget. Despite their competent secretarial team, the practice couldn’t keep up with the volume of letters and the practice manager knew the overseas typing agency was far from ideal.

After an in-depth review of their internal business processes, it was uncovered that sound files, data, and documentation were being double handled at multiple levels across the practice. The current process was very manual and administration-heavy, the practice identified that it could be eased with the use of an intelligent transcript app. The app enabled a complete end-to-end transcription process that removed many administration touchpoints within the practice.

The doctors in the practice uploaded VoiceBox Intelligent Transcript to their mobile devices to easily dictate letters in a consistent format with transparent workflows. It is no surprise that investing in technology can empower healthcare professionals to reclaim their time, reduce stress, and provide more time for their patients.

By leveraging technology with the VoiceBox Intelligent Transcript app, the practice was able to reclaim their time to focus on what matters most – their patients.

Technology and digital platforms are supporting busy healthcare professionals to optimise their efficiency and elevate patient care. These innovative tools offer a powerful solution to help ease the burden of administration, freeing up valuable time for direct patient interaction and improved health outcomes. By embracing digital tools like VoiceBox Intelligent Transcript, doctors can streamline workflows, ensure data accuracy, and enhance communication, ultimately creating a more efficient practice and a more positive experience for both themselves and their patients.

VoiceBox IT

Scenarios in this publication are based on Avant claims experience to date. Certain information has been de-identified to preserve privacy and confidentiality.

Persons implementing any recommendations contained in this publication must exercise their own independent skill or judgment or seek appropriate professional advice relevant to their own particular practice. Compliance with any recommendations will not in any way guarantee discharge of the duty of care owed to patients and others coming into contact with the health professional or practice. Avant and Avant Practice Solutions are not responsible to you or anyone else for any loss suffered in connection with the use of this information. Information is only current at the date initially published. © Avant Mutual Group Limited 2024.

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Our Online Booking Management Solution Is Now Live 

Best Health Booking Blog Graphic

We are excited to announce the official release of our Online Booking Management Solution, Best Health Booking.

Best Health Booking integrates with Bp Premier to provide a hassle-free booking solution for practice managers and practice owners. It also provides convenience to patients and streamlines administrative tasks, all while being easy to navigate and configure.

Best Health Booking has been through rigorous Beta Testing and was designed in partnership with Bp Premier customers.

“Listening to our customer’s feedback provided clear direction for which features would be most beneficial to their clinics when it came to an Online Appointment Booking Solution. Based on beta testing and ongoing feedback received, we are sure Bp Premier customers will be thrilled with Best Health Booking overall, but especially the seamless integration, simple setup and maintenance and the patient convenience it offers,” Ms Danielle Bancroft, our Chief Product Officer, explained.

To determine whether Best Health Booking is right for your clinic, we encourage you to visit our website

How Will Best Health Booking Help Your Practice?

Bookings in an instant: Real-time visibility in the Bp Premier appointment book for your team and in Best Health Booking for your patients means that there is less chance of a double booking happening – no matter where someone is entering it into the system. This also reduces the burden on your reception team.

Spend less time on admin: By simplifying your practice’s booking workflow and streamlining your practice-patient communications, Best Health Booking helps you spend less time on administrative tasks, and more time on looking after your patients. 

Be up and running in minutes: Once the Best Health Booking Site Manager has been installed, your practice profile can be configured and live in minutes, allowing your patients to instantly book their online appointments. 

Bookings anywhere, anytime: Patients aren’t always able to book an appointment on your schedule. Best Health Booking lets them book an appointment on theirs. Your practice’s unique link allows patients to book an appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – no matter where they are. With freedom and flexibility over their health journey, patients are more likely to attend their appointments. 

Part of the customer-centric approach has been to keep Best Health Booking pricing as affordable as possible, to support the critical operations of valued practices at the forefront of healthcare in Australia.

We believe that Best Health Booking pricing should be simple and transparent. This means that no matter the size of your medical practice, you will have access to all the features we offer, without paying extra for each one. Our goal is to make it easy for you to subscribe and focus on what really matters – providing the best healthcare to your patients. For a breakdown Best Health Booking pricing, visit https://bpsoftware.net/best-health-booking-pricing.

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Best Practice Software Announces Newly Forged Partnership with Lyrebird Health

Lyrebird Health Partnership Blog Graphic

New partnership between Best Practice and Lyrebird Health provides practitioners with increased efficiencies and productivity.

Best Practice Software has partnered with Lyrebird Health; the creators of Lyrebird Scribe, an artificial intelligence (AI) transcription tool specifically designed for healthcare. The partnership will see Bp Premier, Best Practice’s market leading practice management system, be the first to offer a fully integrated generative AI tool to their Australian practitioners.

Co-Founders of Lyrebird Health, Kai Van Lieshout and Linus Talacko said:

“The demand on healthcare has never been higher in Australia and many General Practitioners across the country are stretched to the point of burnout. Through our partnership with Best Practice Software, practitioners across Australia will now have Lyrebird Scribe directly embedded into their software, allowing them to see more patients and deliver a level of care that was previously not possible.”

Lyrebird Scribe works by automatically generating relevant medical documentation during the consultation process, allowing clinicians to spend more time with their patients and less time completing administrative duties.

Doctor and Founder of Best Practice Software, Dr Frank Pyefinch said:

“It’s always been our goal to find new ways to support our practitioners. The Lyrebird Health integration achieves this by allowing practitioners to increase administrative efficiencies and reduce their time spent recording patient notes, both during and post consult”.

By listening to your consult Lyrebird Scribe can automatically generate your patient notes, filtering out all irrelevant information. From there, comprehensive letters and referrals can then be generated from the patient notes and be sent within minutes. Lyrebird Scribe learns from the practitioner’s edits and feedback, so as they continue to use the tool, notes and letters will sound more like them.

Doctor and Clinical Advisor of Best Practice Software, Dr Fabrina Hossain said:

“While AI will never replace the practitioner in making clinical decisions, it can be useful in increasing efficiencies and reducing time spent on administration. Anything that allows practitioners to spend more time providing patient care is appreciated.”

Given the sensitive nature of healthcare information, Lyrebird Scribe utilises AES-256 bit encryption, all information is stored de-identified on Australian based servers, and data is only available to the practitioner.

To find out more about Best Practice Software or Lyrebird Health please visit us online.

For all media enquires please contact:

Danielle Bancroft
Chief of Product, Best Practice Software
danielle.bancroft@bpsoftware.net

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How Forest Hill Family Clinic Increased CDM Billings by 400%

In the bustling heart of Forest Hill, where healthcare meets community, Forest Hill Family Clinic has been a beacon of care for its local community. With a mission to provide top-quality healthcare, they recognise the need to provide efficient access to care through their hands-on approach to chronic disease management (CDM).

The Challenge: Creating a Simple and Reliable Process for CDM

For years, Forest Hill Family Clinic has been providing care for a growing population of patients dealing with chronic diseases. However, their approach to identifying care opportunities wasn’t one that enabled the team to do their best work. As one of their team members put it, “For us, CDM was very ad hoc, if we worked with the nurses they would pick it up, but it would drop off throughout the year.” Forest Hill Family Clinic needed to work with the team to create a simple, repeatable process for easily verifying CDM eligibility and booking those eligible appointments.

Discovering a Solution: What is Everyone Else Doing?

The practice owner, Cass Quilty, began searching for a solution that could align with their goals. Cass had heard whispers of Cubiko’s success from other practices online and decided to investigate further. They were intrigued by the prospect of a software solution that could help them streamline their processes.

Structured Care Opportunities with Cubiko

Forest Hill Family Clinic decided to put Cubiko to the test. They employed Cubiko’s QuickCheck tool to assess patient eligibility before consultations. The results were astonishing. Chronic disease management billings, once a mere 5% of their total billings, surged to an impressive 21%. As Cass enthusiastically described it, “Then along came QuickCheck. Which has been fantastic, a game changer.”

For Cass and her dedicated team, QuickCheck became their trusted ally in verifying patient eligibility before consultations, ensuring that no care opportunity was missed. As Cass elaborated, “What we created is an opportunistic appointments list in Bp. We run QuickCheck each morning, and anyone who is eligible, we make a note on the file what the patient is due for.”

This routine use of QuickCheck goes hand in hand with a thoroughly planned process for providing amazing CDM care, ensuring no patient misses out on the care they are eligible to receive.

Seamless Implementation: Simplifying the Process

The implementation of Cubiko was a breeze for Forest Hill Family Clinic. They simply signed up and began training their team using the comprehensive resources provided by Cubiko. The software seamlessly integrated into their daily workflows, making it an invaluable part of their practice.

User-Friendly Experience: Empowering Healthcare Providers

Cubiko’s user-friendly interface made it easy for the staff at Forest Hill Family Clinic to embrace and utilise the software effectively. Its simplicity amplified the effectiveness of the software, enabling the team to focus on delivering exceptional care.

The Results: Streamlined and Efficient Workflow

Cubiko has not only assisted in growing Forest Hill Family Clinic’s CDM billings but also streamlined their entire workflow. As Cass expressed, “If I don’t have to check PRODA for an item number ever again, that would be heaven. It’s been fantastic; the time we get back from rejections and checking PRODA is so valuable.” Forest Hill Family Clinic saves hours each week through a streamlined process and ensures they are able to bill for the work their team puts in by cutting down on costly rejections.

A Bright Future with Cubiko

In conclusion, Forest Hill Family Clinic’s journey with Cubiko has been nothing short of remarkable. By adopting this innovative solution, they have increased their chronic disease management billings fourfold and transformed their care delivery process. Cubiko has not only helped them improve patient outcomes but also simplified their workflows.

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1 November 2023 Fee Update – Triple Incentives and MyMedicare

From 1 November 2023, higher bulk billing incentives for Commonwealth concession card holders and patients under 16 years of age will be introduced and may be co claimed with the following consultation items:

  • MBS Levels B, C, D, and E face-to-face general attendance consultations (and out of rooms, residential aged care facilities and after-hours equivalents),
  • MBS Level B telehealth (video and telephone) general attendance consultations,
  • MBS Levels C, and D telehealth (video and telephone) general attendance consultations, where a patient is registered with a general practice through MyMedicare and receives the service through the practice where they are registered,
  • Level E telehealth (video only) general attendance consultations, where a patient is registered with their general practice through MyMedicare and receives the service through the practice where they are registered.

Please see the MBS Online Fact Sheet for Bulk Billing in General Practice for further information.

What Do I Need To Know?

The new MBS Item numbers that are being released on 1 November to support the triple incentive items will be made available as part of our planned November Data Update. This update will also include the logic changes that are required to automatically apply the incentives based on the applicable billing workflow, with an exception to the Video and Phone Telehealth consultations.

We are currently unable to automatically add the relevant incentives to the 91801, 91802 and 91920 Video Telehealth, and the 91900 and 91910 Phone Telehealth items as this incentive is reliant on the patient being registered at their practice through MyMedicare. At this stage, a patient’s MyMedicare registration is not stored in Bp and therefore unable to be verified as part of this billing workflow.

For MyMedicare patients eligible for these new incentives:

For Video Telehealth Consultations:

  • The standard 10990 (or regional variant) incentive will automatically be added to the account when created with any of these item numbers which will be unable to be removed,
  • The 75880 incentive item will then need to be manually added to the account,
  • Account to be submitted to Medicare with both incentive items included and then managed using the standard Medicare exception process.

For Phone Telehealth Consultations:

  • The new incentives will not automatically be added to the account, and will need to be manually added by practice staff. (Please note: in this scenario, the 10990 (or regional variant) incentive will not be applied, and will therefore not need to be managed using the standard Medicare exception process.)

The addition of a patient’s MyMedicare registration status is planned to be made available in the next release of our Bp Premier product scheduled for the coming months. The introduction of patients’ MyMedicare status in Bp Premier will remove the need to manually manage these incentives.

Further information regarding these changes can be accessed via the Bp Premier Knowledge Base and via the MBS Online website.

Authored by:

Jessica White
Head of Commercial and Government at Best Practice Software

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March 2024 Changes to Reporting Vaccination Encounters to AIR

The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) is a national, lifelong immunisation register that records the vaccines administered to all Australians, including:

  • COVID-19 vaccines
  • Vaccines given under the National Immunisation Program (NIP)
  • Privately given vaccines, such as for seasonal influenza or travel.

Reporting detailed vaccination information to AIR enables the register to contain a complete and reliable dataset for monitoring immunisation coverage and administration.

From 1 March 2024, AIR will introduce new mandatory reporting requirements to improve the data currently held. The following information will be required to upload an encounter to AIR from 1 March 2024.

Selecting the Vaccine Type will be Mandatory for Selected Vaccines

If a vaccination provider is both the immunisation and the information provider, and the vaccine was administered on or after 1 March 2024, specifying vaccine type will be mandatory for selected vaccines when uploading an encounter to AIR. Vaccine type could be Antenatal, NIP/Commonwealth, private or state program.

Route of Administration will be Mandatory for Selected Vaccines

If a vaccination provider is both the immunisation and the information provider, and the vaccine was administered on or after 1 March 2024, specifying the Route of Administration will be mandatory for selected vaccines when uploading an encounter to AIR.

Batch Numbers will be Mandatory for Selected Vaccines

If a vaccination provider is both the immunisation and the information provider, and the vaccine was administered on or after 1 March 2024, specifying the Batch Number will be mandatory for selected vaccines when uploading an encounter to AIR.

More information regarding these changes will be made available in the near future. These mandatory changes will be included in the next version of Bp Premier, Orchid SP2. We recommend upgrading to Orchid SP2 as soon as it is available so your practice may continue to meet the mandatory AIR reporting requirements.

Authored by:

Suzi Eley Blog Author Image

Suzi Eley
Training and Deployment Team Leader at Best Practice Software

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