What you’ve missed from the last week … this time in a bite-sized format.
Welcome to the leftovers, where we serve you a smorgasbord of news from the last week or so that hasn’t made it into a full report.
Bon appetit!
Queensland brings in single employer model
The Sunshine State, which has been running a single employer model for fellowed GPs and rural generalists for some time, will soon have a trial of the model for registrars.
The trial, which will be funded by the federal Labor government rather than the state, is the first to be delivered by local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council will be working in partnership with Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health.
It’s a slight departure from the version of the single employer model trialled in NSW, SA and Tasmania, which features the state health department as the single employer.
The $2.4 million program will support six registrars to train in the remote outback town of Charleville through to 2028.
“This First Nations-led pilot project is a groundbreaking step towards ensuring that our communities are served by doctors who are not only clinically proficient but also culturally informed and committed to long-term relationships,” Queensland Aboriginal and Island Health Council chairman Matthew Cooke said.
AHPRA issues AI reminder
Last week, the regulator slipped out a short reminder to practitioners that it has developed principles for them to consider when looking to integrate AI into their practice.
The guidance in question covers five principles: accountability, understanding, transparency, informed consent and ethical/legal issues.
Some of the key takeaways include that practitioners must apply human judgement to the output of any AI-generated content – even if the tool is TGA-approved – and inform patients how and when it is being used.
“The level of information a health practitioner needs to provide will depend on how and when AI is being used,” the guidance said.
“For example, if AI is being used as part of software to improve the accuracy of interpreting diagnostic images, the practitioner would not be expected to provide technical detail about how the software works.
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“However, if a practitioner is using an AI tool to record consultations, they would need to provide more information about how the AI works and may impact the patient in terms of its collection and use of their personal information.”
Confidentiality, governance arrangements and indemnity considerations are also touched on.
The guidance will be updated as time goes on.
PBAC releases July recommendations
Outcomes from the July Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee meeting were released on Friday.
Among the successful new listings were an adalimumab biosimilar to be listed under the same circumstances as the currently PBS-listed reference biologic Humira, dienogest for endometriosis and combined oral contraceptives Yaz and Yasmin.
A request for the GlaxoSmithKline RSV vaccine to be added to the National Immunisation Program for patients 60 and older was not recommended by the group due to a lack of data on its project cost-effectiveness.
The PBAC also did not recommend a general schedule restricted benefit listing for the Sanofi-Aventis RSV vaccine for infants and neonates.
Lecanemab for early Alzheimer disease will be considered at a future meeting.
A decision on esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression was deferred.
