|
GP SUBSCRIBERS
Family Care Medical Services is an AGPAL accredited Medical Deputising Service. Our purpose is to provide after hours primary medical care to the patients of subscribing General Practitioners during the Commonwealth-defined after hours period. Our service provides 4 significant benefits to subscribing GPs.
Benefits of Subscribing to Family Care Medical Services
1. After Hours Cover
By subscribing to Family Care Medical Services, your patients will have access to GP care throughout the entire after hours period:
|
Monday – Friday
Weekends
Public holidays |
6pm to 8am
12 noon Saturday to 8am Monday
24 Hours |
By diverting your phones to our Operations Room, or having a recorded message with our contact details, patients calling your surgery when you are closed will have access to our home visiting services. Once a patient contacts our Operations Room and a home visit is booked, they are usually attended by one of our deputising GPs within 3 hours.
When your practice closes you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your patients are being well cared for.
2. Continuity of Care
Whenever one of our doctors attends one of your patients, you will be provided with a report of the consultation the next working day. Our patient report includes diagnoses, any treatments recommended, details of medications and prescriptions provided as well as any investigations ordered. You will also be provided with copies of any investigations ordered. Often, patients will be referred back to your surgery for follow up care.
We also provide a Special Patient service which allows you to provide us with details of your patients who may require specific care during the after hours period, such as patients in palliative care, nursing home patients or patients with specific medications. Your special patient notes are passed on to the attending GP via our computer system so that your patient has continuity of care in accordance with your management plan, regardless of the time of day that they are treated.
3. Accreditation Requirements
Our service meets the requirements of Criterion 1.1.4 of the RACGP standards for General Practice which states that "practices are required to make and be able to demonstrate reasonable arrangements for access to primary medical care services for their regular patients" outside normal opening hours.
When your practice subscribes to our service, we will provide you with a certificate of registration which you can provide to your accreditation surveyor, who will accept this as evidence that your practice provides genuine access to after hours primary medical care to its patients.
4. Practice Incentives Program
The Practice Incentives Program (PIP) provides a series of payments based on certain eligibility criteria, one of which is the provision of access to after hours primary medical care. Subscribing with Family Care Medical Services confers eligibility for Tier 1 of the PIP which is valued at approximately $2000 per full time GP per year. If your practice also provides 10-15 hours of after hours care per week (depending on practice size) it is also eligible for a further $2000 per year per full time GP.
For more information on the benefits of subscribing with Family Care Medical Services, contact us:
|