Universal bulk-billing incentive risks ‘tearing GP practices apart’
Payments tied to practice-wide universal bulk-billing risk setting GPs “at one another’s throats”, a prominent GP warns. The upcoming 12.5% loading payment if GPs at…
Australian Doctor
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Do doctors really withdraw life support prematurely for patients with brain injuries?
Medicine is about life and death, a fact starkest when doctors advise families to end life support for a loved one. These decisions are routine…
‘I’m a healer, not a dealer!’: GP on her dark times working for a medicinal cannabis telehealth clinic
Revelations that AHPRA knows of eight doctors who have collectively written 80,000 scripts for category 5 THC medicinal cannabis once again raise the obvious question.…
The news today? Rheumatologist jailed for fake diagnoses, Healthscope in receivership and the endocrinologist who saved a million brains
Welcome to your bite-sized wrap-up. Below, we provide news summaries of what is going on in medicine, with links to the articles, opinions, studies and…
‘Is continuing here safe?’: Young doctor’s shock at finding squatters in his family home
“Hi, my name is Sanjay Kuikel, and I’m a junior doctor working in regional Victoria, Australia. I’ve dedicated my career to caring for others —…
Are pharmacists prioritising treating UTIs without antibiotics? Officials don’t seem to know
The Victorian Government says easy access and patient satisfaction are reasons it is entrenching pharmacy prescribing for UTIs and contraceptives. However, it has not revealed…
Measles outbreak worst in six years, with at least 37 locally acquired cases
The 2025 measles outbreak is already the worst in six years, with 77 confirmed cases. Data from April show at least 37 cases were locally…
‘The govt giveth with one hand and it taketh away’: GPs respond to Medicare’s new $157 care plan items
The Federal Government has finally unveiled its new Medicare rebates for chronic disease care plans: From July, writing or reviewing a care plan will both…
Human rights versus risk aversion: Why involuntary treatment is increasing in this state
Almost a decade ago, new mental health legislation in Queensland aimed to minimise involuntary treatment of people with disabilities and severe mental illness. The Mental…
AMA demands suspension of high-THC medicinal cannabis
Doctors have “no reasonable justification” for prescribing medicinal cannabis that is 98% tetrahydrocannabinol, says the AMA, which wants these drugs suspended from the Special Access…
