View Article

From the Chief Executive
						
						
								Postnatal referrals to GPs
						
				
		
		
				
						For some time NZCOM have been working with 
						RNZCGP (the college of General Practitioners) to 
						develop a standard form of referral back to the GP.
				
				
						The standard referral form has now been finalized 
						and samples of the form are enclosed with this issue 
						of Tall Poppies.
				
				
						Members should feel free to copy these and use them to make 
						referrals, as required by Section 88.
				
		
		
				
						Please note the information requested is a 
						minimum set and if there are any risk factors or 
						matters of which the woman’s GP should be aware, 
						these should be disclosed either on the form or by a 
						separate note.
				
				
						
								Lab Tests 
						
				
		
		Members may not be aware the Ministry of Health has a schedule 
		
				which not only sets the prices they will pay for 
				laboratory tests to be carried out but also defines 
				which health practitioners may order 
				which tests, if the cost of the test is to be 
				subsidised.
		
		
				
						In this issue of Tall Poppies you will find a schedule of the tests which 
						are fully subsidised if ordered by a midwife. 
						Any test not on the list is not subsidised so if a midwife orders a test 
						not on the list, it is quite possible the lab will not perform the test as 
						MOH will not pay them for doing so.
				
		
		
				
						Second Postnatal Claims 
				
		
		
				As members will know, 
				
						if the baby is at a different location 
				
		
		
				
						to the mother 
				
				(e.g. the baby has been adopted) 
		
		the LMC may submit two claims for postnatal care, 
		one for the woman and one for the baby.  
		Following issues with duplicated postnatal claims, 
		which resulted in many of these being declined, we 
		have revised the way in which we submit such 
		claims.
		
				This makes no difference at all to the members but 
				it is almost certain there will be a small delay between receiving 
				payment for the first claim and receiving payment for the second 
				claim.
		
		
				
						Tablet Computers 
				
		
		After some delays with delivery from overseas, these have now arrived.  
		We can still obtain these at a substantial discount on the normal retail 
		price so if any member is interested, please contact me.
		
				
						Tony Mansfield 
				
				
						Chief Executive