Reduce your workload with a practice nurse

Program Officer

Margaret Dempsey, 5229 1922

Quicklinks

Link to information including a financial business case for a practice nurse in your practice

Business case calculators

Practice nurse business case - what kind of income can your practice generate with a practice nurse on staff?

Use the Business case interactive calculator - March 2011

Credentialled Nurse Pap Test Provider - a business case to see how your practice can benefit with a Credentialled Nurse Pap Test Provider.

Use the Specific business case interactive calculator - March 2011

How to use the interactive business calculators

1. Open interactive calculator and save to desired location.
2. Open saved file.
3. Enter figures which are reflective of your practice circumstance in the yellow cells.
4. Totals will be automatically calculated and will appear in blue cells.
5. The calculations are intended as a guide only to highlight the potential income which may be generated by utilising practice nurse services. Always refer to Medicare criteria to ensure accuracy. Individual practices should consider their unique circumstances before acting on the information provided as Barwon Medicare Local is not responsible for consequences of initiating such actions.

Benefits to employing a practice nurse

A practice nurse can be a real asset to your general practice by bringing new and complementary skills to your practice, adding positively to the practice bottom line by enhancing the services GP’s are able to provide. There is a wide range of benefits for general practices that employ a practice nurse and the needs of individual practices and their patient population will shape the role/s a nurse will take on within a particular practice team, however the benefits for any practice and its patients may include:

Immunisation Practice nurses may administer vaccines on behalf of a GP where directed by that GP. The GP is not required to be in the room but must be on the premises (unless the nurse is an Accredited Nurse Immuniser). Item 10993 may be claimed when a practice nurse administers the vaccine on behalf of the GP.

Health Assessments
A practice nurse may gather information to provide the GP with an accurate patient record on which to base a health assessment. Relevant time-based item numbers are: 701,703, 705 and 707

Categories of people eligible for health assessments are:

a)  Healthy Kids Check for children who have received or are receiving their four year old immunisation

b)  People aged 40-49 years (inclusive) with a high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes as determined by the AUSDRISK Tool

c)  People between the age of 45and 49 (inclusive) who are at risk of developing a chronic disease

d)  People aged 75 years and older

e)  Permanent residents of a Residential Aged Care Facility

f)   People who have an intellectual disability

g)   Humanitarian entrants who are resident in Australia with access to Medicare services, including Refugees and Special Humanitarian Program and Protection Program entrants

Item 715 relates to Health Assessments for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, including Children (less than 15 years), Adults (15-54 years) and Older Persons (aged 55+ years). Item 10987 is claimed when a follow up service is provided by a practice nurse or registered Aboriginal health worker, on behalf of a medical practitioner, for an Indigenous person who has received a health assessment 

Care Planning Items The nurse can provide disease and lifestyle information, undertakes checks, discuss suitable services with the patient, make contact with allied health services and draft the plan. The GP must discuss the service with the patient as part of obtaining consent and must undertake an assessment of the patient that considers their current health care and future goals. The relevant GP item numbers are 721, 723 and 732.

Chronic Disease Management Medicare item number 10997 covers the provision of monitoring and support to people with a chronic disease by a practice nurse or registered Aboriginal Health Worker on behalf of a GP. The item is available to people with a chronic disease that have a GP Management Plan or Team Care Arrangement in place. This item assists patients who require access to frequent ongoing care for relatively routine treatment and ongoing monitoring and support between the more structured reviews of the care plan by the GP.

Diabetes Cycle of Care Providing that a doctor sees the patient with diabetes and assesses their condition, an appropriately trained and skilled practice nurse can recruit suitable patients, undertake checks such as blood pressure, BMI and feet examination, and review the patient’s diet, smoking and exercise regimes. The nurse then reports back to the doctor who completes the remainder of the item requirements. The nurse can keep track of activities due and undertake recalls and reminders. The relevant item numbers are 2517-2526 and 2620-2635.

Asthma Cycle of Care GP’s provide the majority of care for this item, however an appropriately trained and skilled practice nurse can provide additional lifestyle information, reinforce the key messages of asthma education, assist the patient with device use and undertake Spirometry- item 11506. The practice nurse can also ensure the patient’s record is up to date including medication, keep track of activities due and undertake recalls and reminders. The relevant GP items are 2664-2677.

Cervical Screening Appropriately qualified practice nurses can undertake cervical smears and preventative checks on behalf of/under supervision of a GP. Items 10994 and 10995 include a pap smear and at least one preventative check associated with women’s sexual and reproductive health. Other relevant items are 10998; a service provided by a practice nurse being the taking of pap smear on behalf of/under supervision of a GP and 10999; service provided by a practice nurse being the taking of a pap smear from a woman aged between 20-69 who has not had a pap smear in the last 4 years, on behalf of/under supervision of a GP.

Medicare Public Information Line:          132 011

Medicare Provider Enquiry Line:            132 150
(Includes Claims Interpretation)

Barwon Medicare Local can assist you to identify the benefits to your practice and patients of employing a practice nurse. For more information contact Practice Nurse Program Officer on: 5229 1922 or email Margaret Dempsey