GPDV Contract with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
General Practice Divisions Victoria (GPDV) is contracted by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing to provide:

• GP Education, Support and Community Linkages: Education and training for GPs in using the EPC MBS items to provide better care for their patients, and support for improving local level linkages between GPs and other primary care providers.

GPDV has entered agreements with the 31 member divisions of general practice to implement this program at a local level and GPDV will support the divisions in this role.

Victorian Divisions of General Practice are required to submit a Quarterly Activity Report detailing the educational activities undertaken in that quarter.

GPDV State Evaluation
GPDV State Evaluation Brief

EPC RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE PROJECT BRIEF
EPC Residential Aged Care Project Brief

GPDV VICTORIAN PLAN 2000-2001PLAN
The funding allocation for the EPC MBS items is the largest component of the EPC package. To facilitate effective use of the items there is a budget allocation of $8 million over three years. The Draft Implementation Strategy for the GP Education, Training and Support Program for the new Enhanced Primary Care MBS items (DH&AC 22/10/99) states its goal as.

• To achieve better health care and health outcomes for the elderly, older indigenous Australians and those with complex care needs by enhancing the opportunity for multi-disciplinary care through effective use of the new primary health care items.

• To ensure that by the Year 2002, every GP will have had the opportunity to undertake education associated with the new EPC Medicare items and will be providing a quality and evidence-based service based on the approved guidelines and standards associated with the use of the items.

There is more to the implementation of the EPC Package program than providing information about the new MBS items for divisions to pass on to GPs. The new MBS items represent an opportunity for GPs to change the way they work with other service providers and to become involved in preventive health. This represents a culture change for which not all GPs are fully prepared. Divisions will have a major role in enabling their members to take advantage of the opportunity and GPDV will support divisions in this role. The Victorian plan details how GPDV intended to implement the GP Education, Support and Community Linkages Program.

Context for the Introduction of New MBS items
Although the new items had been introduced as a result of negotiations by the former Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge, with Senator Harradine, there were also other influences that helped lead to their introduction.

GPDV Policy Issues Paper no. 12 issued in December 1999 provides interesting reading in regard to the initial development of the items.

SCHEDULE OF EPC QUARTERLY ACTIVITY REPORT

To view the Portable Document Format (PDF) files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click on the "Get Acrobat Reader" button to download it for FREE!