WHAT IS CARE PLAN?
Care Planning is the process where various health and medical professionals work collaboratively for good of the patient.
During this process, your Doctor sets the goals and defines the approaches to better management of patient’s condition. This might include the help of dietitian, physiotherapist, podiatrist, exercise consultant, “quit smoking” personal manager, consultant physician, asthma educator, clinical educators and a pharmacist.
Referrals for allied health services
If you have a Care Plan prepared for you by your GP, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates for allied health services that your GP has identified as part of your care such as physiotherapist, dietitian, podiatrist etc.
The expected outcome of this process is the prevention of complications of the main condition, building a healthy lifestyle and alleviation of suffering.
Your doctor prepares a detailed Care Plan and discusses it with other health professionals involved. For that reason, your doctor needs your OK to proceed with this and guarantees that your personal health information will not be distributed to anyone else but defined health practitioners.
A chronic medical condition is one that has been (or is likely to be) present for six months or longer, for example, asthma, chronic pain, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, skin conditions and stroke. These are just most common conditions for Care Plan. There is no list of eligible conditions. However, Care Plan designed for patients who require a structured approach and to enable GPs to plan and coordinate the care of patients with complex conditions requiring ongoing care from a multidisciplinary care team.
Your GP will determine whether a plan is appropriate for you.
Thank you for being pro-active with your health management and taking interest in the care plan.
