‘Unrelenting’ patient violence triggers call for improved security
Bed block, drug use and the failure to equip EDs for acute mental illness are responsible for rising rates of patient violence, doctors warn. Patients…
Antony Scholefield
Antony is a medical reporter with a special interest in technology and pharmacy.
Fitness-to-drive laws under scrutiny again after 91-year-old driver crashes into three people
Fitness-to-drive laws are back in the spotlight after a car driven by a 91-year-old killed two people and left a toddler seriously injured. Victorian Acting…
‘If you cannot satisfy yourself it is appropriate, get out’: Medicinal cannabis, telehealth and junior doctors
Medical Board of Australia chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer.The Medical Board of Australia wants doctors working for medicinal cannabis clinics to reflect on whether their work…
Cannabis doctors prescribing multiple products so patients can ‘test what they prefer’: AHPRA
New AHPRA guidance warns that prescribers are issuing multiple medicinal cannabis scripts to individual patients so they can try the different types and decide “which…
The GP who treated triple murderer Erin Patterson tells his story
Dr Chris Webster had medical records ready, splayed before him on the bench. Hospital staff were warned to keep clear. He had even discussed his…
Payroll tax driving up GP costs despite bulk-billing carve outs, doctors warn
Slapping payroll tax on practice payments to GPs is costing more state revenue than it generates, doctors say. The ACT has joined Victoria and SA…
ACT ditches controversial GP payroll tax rule
The first jurisdiction to link payroll tax and bulk-billing — by exempting clinics that bulk-billed 65% of services — has flipped its approach. As courts…
Practices vs GPs: How will Mark Butler split his bulk billing ‘spoils’?
The Federal Government has always claimed its big election promise to raise GP bulk-billing rates to 90% is backed by incredibly detailed modelling. The key…
New guidance supports antibiotics for unconfirmed strep A in patients at high risk of acute rheumatic fever
New guidelines recommend antibiotic treatment for sore throats in high-risk children and adolescents without diagnostic confirmation of strep A to prevent acute rheumatic fever. Released…
Care plans, B12 tests and a new Level B consult rebate — these are today’s big Medicare changes
Major Medicare changes take effect today. The new chronic disease care plan items begin, with a $156.55 rebate for writing or reviewing a plan and…
