InMotion August 2017

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IN BRIEF
Following the release of the Osteoarthritis
of the Knee Clinical Care Standard, the APA
is calling for an overhaul of Medicare and
private health insurance funding schemes
to encourage optimal patient-centred
treatment for individuals with osteoarthritis
(OA) of the knee. To empower health
professionals and patients with greater
non-surgical treatment options, financial
incentive to avoid knee replacement
procedures (which should be considered
only as a last resort) and improve health
outcomes, the APA favours a shift towards
funding models which focus less on
acute care and more on early diagnosis,
prevention and ongoing conservative
management.
According to APA President Phil Calvert,
APAM, ‘Consumers are paying more out
of their own pockets when they take up an
early intervention management program for
their OA by proactively seeking appropriate
physio care. Yet at the other end of the scale,
if consumers wait until it is too late to manage
their condition conservatively, or choose
surgery as a first option, their joint replacement
surgery and post-operative recovery is fully
funded via their hospital cover.’
According to the Australian Orthopaedic
Association, between 2003 and 2014, the
number of knee replacements undertaken
in Australia per year increased by 88 per
cent, with 98 per cent of procedures the
result of pain or mobility problems caused
by osteoarthritis.
Published in May 2017, the clinical care
standard was put together by experts
working across 14 leading medical,
health and consumer organisations who
made recommendations for best-practice
clinical care grouped under seven quality
statements: comprehensive assessment;
diagnosis; education and self-management;
weight loss and exercise; medicines used
to manage symptoms; patient review; and
surgery.
To view the clinical care standard, visit
.
InMotion ’s feature on the treatment of OA of
the knee starts on page 32.
Guidelines for knee OA highlight funding flaws DVAWebclaim reminder
The Australian Government’s Department
of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)’s free online
service for providers to submit treatment
claims for payment is available on the
Department of Human Services (DHS)
Health Professional Online Services
(HPOS) portal.
Since 2014–15, DVA Webclaim has been
targeted at allied and medical providers
who provide services to the veteran
community and enables claim lodgement
through an online Smartform, meaning no
more delays associated with preparing
and lodging paper-based claims.
Providers can receive an instant response
to submitted claims; receive payment
within two business days (compared with
20 business days when paper claims
are submitted); access electronic DVA
statements; download DVA claiming
history for the previous two years;
cancel paid claims submitted on the
same day; use the HPOS secure email
facility to ask DHS questions about
claims; submit paperless claims without
patient signatures; and change banking
details.
For more information and to access the
HPOS portal, visit .
com/y8o5n5cz.
The buzz around the upcoming Momentum 2017 APA conference is building,
and now there is a great way to share it. New social media tags have been
created to harness all the new and exciting information about the event such
as early bird registrations. You can now follow Momentum 2017 on Twitter
at @APAConference and use the hashtag #physiomomentum to engage
in all things conference related.
Momentum 2017 will be held at the new International Convention Centre
Sydney venue at Darling Harbour from 19–21 October. For more details
about the event, visi
ICC SYDNEY OCTOBER 19-21
PHYSIOTHERAPY CONFERENCE
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M O M E N T U M