The Air Health Check

AiR Health Checks; do you need one?

News / 2019.04.01

The Air Foundation’s Serial Killer awareness campaign has delivered a huge win for Aussies.

This week, the nation’s major political parties committed to introducing a Medicare-funded Air Health Check for all Australians at risk of death.

Are you at risk? Do you need a Air Health Check? 

Every day Australians die; it’s confronting. 

The Air Foundation has campaigned for Air Health Checks because they can save lives. Air Health Checks can also help to prevent the pain and suffering that people and their families endure after death.

Professor Air-Brained, Airologist and Chief Medical Advisor for the Air Foundation says the introduction of Air Health Checks, and better treatments for people at risk of death, could, over the next five years, prevent:

  • 10,000 Air GP clinic closures
  • 9,100 bureaucrat job losses
  • 100 politicians seats lost
  • 1-2 deaths*

*estimated

A Air Health Check could save your life or the life of someone you love. Your regular GP has been told to perform the check, and the results indicate your level of risk for air issues within the next five years. Your Air Health Check could involve:

  • Taking your blood to check air levels (low air blood is blue)
  • Checking your blood pressure (zero can be bad)
  • Learning more about your immediate family’s air health history (deceased relatives often have poor Air Health Scores)
  • Considering any other health conditions you may have, such as the many other conditions often covered by Your GP at every other visit
  • Discussing your diet, whether you smoke and how active you are 
  • Assessing your body mass index (BMI) and waist measurement 

But, how do you know if you need one? 

The Air Foundation recommends Australians over 45 years of age have a Air Health Check. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians should have a check when they are over 35.

How do you get a Air Health Check? 

Medicare-funded Air Health Checks will be available from your GP from April 2019.

Know more about your air health. 

Right now, you can learn more about your air health by completing the Air Foundation’s Air Age Calculator; by answering a few simple questions, you can learn more about your air age and your risk of having a premature election.

However, when April 1 has passed, and you are ready to see Your GP – PartridgeGP will be here for you!

Where to from here?

PartridgeGP is here to help – and we will continue to serve our valued patients! PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions, and we won’t back away from being your companion, guide, advisor, and sounding board through your health journey. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of a global pandemic with a new vaccine on the horizon. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

For everyone, we believe that having a usual GP or General Practice is central to each person’s care and recommend that people with any health issues that come to the attention of other health professionals should be advised to attend their usual GP or General Practice rather than a specialised service (ie a place not providing the holistic care a specialist GP would).   If  they say that they don’t have a usual GP or general practice, they should be helped to find one and to actually attend it. Call PartridgeGP on 82953200 or make an appointment online here.

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you are a great GP or a great Allied Health Professional, and you want to serve your clients or patients to the best of your ability, without worrying about all the non clinical things that get in your way, lets talk. Call Dr Nick Tellis on 8295 3200 and have a coffee and chat with us as to how PartridgeGP can help you to help others.

Welcoming Dr Jen Becker to PartridgeGP

PartridgeGP is proud to welcome Dr Jen Becker to our team!

tellis becker mouktaroudis

Dr Jen completed her medical degree at Flinders University in 2012 and since then has worked in hospitals across Adelaide and beyond. She most recently completed a 6 month term in public health in Darwin.

Her medical interests include sexual health, women’s health, and adolescent health. Outside medicine, her energies go into cooking, travel, and spending time with family.

We welcome Dr Jen to Our Team here at PartridgeGP to be Your GP!

She is available to help you with all of your General Practice needs from mid April 2019 and you can book your appointment with her conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 0882953200.

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and we may have other qualifications and skills.

Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars and you may find that they are called in to consult with the Registrar on your case. ‘Registrars’ are qualified doctors who have completed their hospital training and are now embarking on their General Practice training. Some may already have other qualifications in medical or other fields.

We also supervise and teach Medical Students from Flinders University. They are still studying to become doctors. All of us – Fellows, Registrars, and Medical Students – make up the Clinical Team here at PartridgeGP with our excellent Practice Nurses. We all uphold the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and clinical practice.

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DR NICK TELLIS

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Your Specialist In Life

DR NICK MOUKTAROUDIS

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DR GARETH BOUCHER

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DR PENNY MASSY-WESTROPP

dr penny massy westropp - your gp

DR MONIKA MOY

dr monika moy- your gp

DR ABBY MUDFORD

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DR JEN BECKER

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DR DAVID HOOPER

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2 things you probably didn’t know about Pro Bono work and PartridgeGP

Many people are concerned about the rising costs of living. One of those costs can be the cost of medical care. Often, but not always, cost and value align (so something that costs more is worth more and is of higher quality, and vice versa).

 

General Practice in Australia is both efficient and excellent with nearly 90% of Australians seeing a GP at least once a year and this delivering world leading outcomes at a good price. Still, the Medicare Rebate for patients has not kept up with the rising costs of providing medical care and running a medical practice and so out of pocket costs have gone up for patients.

 

Patients Medicare rebates are set by politicians, an increasing number of whom are lawyers. Lawyers often point to pro bono services they provide for the poor and disadvantaged and here we come to the first thing you probably didn’t know:

 

“Pro bono” comes from the Latin phrase “pro bono publico” which means “for the public good”. In the legal context it generally means the provision of legal services on a free or significantly reduced fee basis.

 

Now for the second thing you probably didn’t know:

Almost every GP in Australia is providing pro bono work on a daily basis when they bulk bill patients.

 

The patients Medicare rebate, which a GP accepts as full payment for professional services if bulk billing, is less than half the recommended professional fee for most GP services.

An election is coming. Let your politician know that your health shouldn’t depend on pro bono work from your GP.

 

It’s your Medicare Rebate.

 

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You deserve better.

 

You know it. Make them know it too.

 

Contact them below

Scott Morrison

Bill Shorten

Richard Di Natale

Greg Hunt

Catherine King

General Practice – a strong-link or a weak-link profession?

General Practice is the cornerstone and beating heart of Primary Care in Australia. Much of this work and care happens behind closed doors, one on one with our valued patients. It is so important to be collegial and supportive to our peers and colleagues. It improves us, our profession, and our care.

Thanks for another well written post Dr Genevieve!

Dr Genevieve Yates

Not long ago I ran into a recently Fellowed GP whom I’d had the pleasure of supervising as a medical student several years ago.  She was exceptional – bright, keen and an amazing communicator who just “got it”.  During her time with me she joined in with my group registrar teaching and exam prep workshops (AKT/KFP and OSCE).  In the mock OSCE she did better than most of the registrars who were about to sit their Fellowship exams.  After three weeks in general practice (as a student) and a two hour session on what the AKT and KFP were about, she passed both written practice exams (which were shorter than but of a similar standard to the real thing).  Mind you, she wasn’t perfect – there were gaps in her knowledge, and nothing can replace clinical experience, but she was safe.  She knew what she didn’t know.  She knew how…

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