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Welcome to the Chronic Disease Management Web Site

If you are a health care professional, working with people with chronic and complex conditions, check out this web site. It contains information on:

the roles of health care professionals in chronic disease management
schematics of three chronic diseases, how multidisciplinary teamwork operates
communications tips and templates for communicating with general practice
links to other relevant web sites
national directory of allied health professionals
the allied health professions included in the chronic disease management (CDM) Medicare MBS items

Chronic Disease Management for General Practitioners, General Practice Nurses and Allied Health Professionals

Sharing the Care and Understanding between General Practice and Allied Health Professionals

Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) developed this web site as a resource package specifically for healthcare professionals working in chronic disease management. It provides information for allied health professionals and general practice professionals on the most effective ways healthcare professionals can work together in multidisciplinary teams to achieve improved outcomes for patients with chronic and complex conditions.

This web site includes information on allied health skills and discipline-specific competencies, a guide to Medicare's chronic disease management items and working with general practice staff, providing quick-find information that can be accessed during patient consultations.

It is widely accepted that a coordinated team of healthcare professionals can improve health outcomes for people with chronic and complex conditions. It is also widely recognised that the incidence of chronic disease is growing, placing a growing burden on the Australian healthcare system. The need for multidisciplinary teamwork in the management of chronic disease is increasingly urgent.

Allied Health Professionals

A Growing Workforce

There are more than 90,000 allied health professionals (AHPs) working in Australia today. Many of these highly trained clinicians work alongside doctors and nurses, providing quality primary and secondary healthcare for Australians.

A growing number of AHPs help provide care for people with chronic and complex conditions, working as a team alongside general practitioners and general practice nurses. In addition to the extensive training AHPs undertake to qualify in their chosen professions, which may contain training specific to chronic disease management, a number of post-graduate training courses are available for further training in chronic disease management.

Resources

Chronic Disease Management Resource Package

Click here to download hard copy of this resource package in easy print version

CDM DVD

Download DVD on chronic disease management

Medicare's CDM Items

The Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Medicare items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) provide GP referral pathways to AHPs, facilitating multidisciplinary team care arrangements to provide shared care for patients with chronic and complex conditions. Click here to find out more about:

specific requirements for AHPs to be eligible under Medicare's CDM items
patients' eligibility for Team Care Arrangements
referral and reporting procedures
click here for a simple step-by-step guide on claiming Allied Health (Individual) Services under Medicare.