Doctor Q May 2012

May 2012 . Vol 78

Indigenous-friendly Medicine Your role in closing the gap

fracking - Qld’s next gold rush?

Madrid’s keynote speakers revealed

FREE TO AMA QUEENSLAND MEMBERS

Excuse Me Minister?

DoctorQ MAY 2012

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If you’re a doctor in training interested in a research placement, would $25,000 or $50,000 help?

Avant is delighted to announce the launch of the Avant Doctor in Training Research Scholarships Program.

Each year we will award two full-time scholarships to the value of $50,000 each and four part-time scholarships of $25,000 each.

Let us help turn your dream of that elusive research placement into a reality.

As a recipient of grants in the past, I would encourage you to put as much detail as possible into the application, it’s worth the time and effort to get it right.

Dr Gareth Crouch Cardiothoracic Registrar (SA) Member, Avant’s Doctor in Training Advisory Council

Applications open at 9am on 13 February 2012 and must be received by 5pm on 31 May 2012.

For more information or to download the application form, please visit www.avant.org.au/scholarship 2

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

Australia’s Leading MDO

CONTENTS

In this issue FEATURE STORies

Current issues

12 How to become an Indigenous-friendly medical practice

22 dEMYSTIFYING THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION MEDICAL ASSESSMENT TRIBUNAL

16 excuse ME, mINISTER?

24 CHANGES RECOMMENDED FOR OVERSEAS TRAINED DOCTORS

30 sOCIALmEDIA: a MEDICO’S NEXT BEST FRIEND?

28 RESOURCES TO THE ECONOMIC RESCUE 29 hAITIAN CRISIS EXPERIENCE

business tools 36 INDEMNITY INSURANCE LOOPHOLE 38 Practice made perfect 40 New legal duties under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) 42 Year end tax planning: are you ready?

FEATURE STORY

Life 50 ross noye’s sharemarket insight

aROUND THE REGIONS

52 Travel - why Chile is hot

25 foundation news

53 Wine - visit the lane vineyard

32 RDAQ CONFERENCE UPDATE

54 Dendy cinemas

34 Local medical association round up

57 culture

35 wHY i BECAME A rURAL dOCTOR: dR aDAM cOLTZAU

58 In Print

MEMBER NEWS

REGULARS

45 member news

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

20 member profile: DR Mark Loane

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

8

CEO’S REPORT

conference

10 in brief

18 ama Queensland annual conference

11 AMA Queensland news

people & events 46 calendar 47 Townsville social 49 motherhood & Medicine

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47 DoctorQ MAY 2012

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EDITORIAL

Board of Directors

Heather Grant Doctor Q Editor Stepping into Michelle Ford-Russ’s shoes as editor of Doctor Q has been challenging: to begin with she’s a good 15 cm taller and hence has bigger feet!

It’s come at a time of such change politically. But then again, having been on the periphery of the medical world for nearly 30 years (as a medical and health writer), I’m aware that change in this profession is constant: be it as a result of innovation, expectation or bureaucracy.

This edition touches on some of those changes. For me personally, the inequity in Indigenous health has been a sore point and I was delighted to talk with the likes of doctors Dr Noel Hayman and Dr Paul Johanson about the four relatively easy steps needed to begin to Close the Gap. Perhaps set yourself the challenge of reading and considering its application to your practice in time for NAIDCO Week (1-8 July). I was also delighted to talk with Dr Mark Loane about the ophthalmological service he’s been involved with in the remote far north.

Overseas trained doctors, trussed by red tape in order to practise their craft in Australia, will undoubtedly welcome the key recommendations of a federal report, explained by AMA’s Andrew Turner.

Another change that doctors face daily is the impact of the internet and social media. I confess; I have been a ‘citizen scientist’ (I just didn’t know it until I spoke with Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett)—but this feature helps you regain the upper hand.

Ultimately Doctor Q is your magazine. I want you to enjoy reading it. Over coming editions there will be subtle changes; mostly influenced by feedback I receive from readers. So if you have an issue you’d like broached—be it relating to policy, business tools, lifestyle – or an inspirational someone you think others would like to know about, do contact me: editor@amaq.com.au

AMA Queensland sadly wishes to advise that the following member recently passed away: Dr Kevin Leslie McLACHLAN General Practitioner Late of Townsville Member for 57 years

Dr Arthur George HARROLD AM General Practitioner Late of Noosa Heads Member for 69 years

Regular readers will have noted that Michelle Ford Russ is on maternity leave. Her second child, daughter Xanthe, arrived a little earlier than expected on 12 March. Mum and bub are doing well.

Disclaimer – All material in Doctor Q remains the copyright of AMA Queensland and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission. While every care is taken to provide accurate information in this publication, the material within Doctor Q is for general information and guidance only and is not intended as advice. Readers are advised to make their own enquiries and/or seek professional advice as to the accuracy of the content of such articles and/or their applicability to any particular circumstances. AMA Queensland, its servants and agents exclude, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any liability which may arise as a result of the use of the material in Doctor Q.

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MAY 2012 DoctorQ

Dr Richard Kidd President and General Practitioner Craft Group Dr Alex Markwell President-Elect Dr Sharon Kelly Chairperson Dr Larry Gahan Treasurer

Dr Sharmila Biswas Honorary Secretary Professor Philip Morris Elected Member Dr Kirsten Price Elected Member Dr Christian Rowan Elected Member

Council Dr David Alcorn Greater Brisbane Area Dr Sharmila Biswas Far North Area Dr Kimberley Bondeson Greater Brisbane Area Dr John W Cox Downs and West Area Dr Larry Gahan General Practitioner Craft Group Dr Noel Hayman Greater Brisbane Area Dr Wayne Herdy North Coast Area Dr Sharon Kelly Specialist Craft Group Mr Bavahuna Manoharan Medical Student Group Dr Deborah Mills Part-Time Medical Practitioner Craft Group Professor Philip Morris Gold Coast Area Dr Stephen Morrison Specialist Craft Group Dr John F. Murray Full -Time Salaried Medical Practitioner Craft Group

Dr Carl O’Kane North Area Dr Gino Pecoraro Immediate Past President Dr Kirsten Price Greater Brisbane Area Mr Matthew Roberts Medical Student Observer Dr Christian Rowan Greater Brisbane Area Dr Shaun Rudd General Practitioner Craft Group Dr Anil Sharma Capricorn Area Dr Jonathon Shirley Greater Brisbane Area Dr Mason Stevenson General Practitioner Craft Group Dr Jen Williams Residents and Registrars Craft Group Dr Chris Zappala Greater Brisbane Area

AMA Queensland Secretariat Jane Schmitt Chief Executive Officer Filomena Ferlan General Manager Corporate Services Neil Mackintosh Manager - AMAQ Foundation

Karen Fitzgibbons General Manager Member Relations and Communications Andrew Turner Manager - Member Services

Editor: Heather Grant Journalist: Stephanie Shield Graphic Designer: Erin Sticklen Advertising: Rebecca Byrnes Doctor Q is published by AMA Queensland Contact Phone: (07) 3872 2222 Postal Address: PO Box 123, Red Hill QLD 4059 Print Post Approved PP490927/00049 Email: editor@amaq.com.au Cover photo: Michael Marston, Qld Government

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT great organisation, great membership

This is my final report for Doctor Q as President of AMA Queensland before handing over the reins to our incoming President Dr Alex Markwell.

Dr Richard Kidd President AMA Queensland

I have felt greatly honoured and privileged to serve the members of AMA Queensland and advocate for you and your patients. I have enjoyed the considerable workload, wonderfully supported by our CEO Jane Schmitt and the dedicated staff of AMA Queensland, as well as the great (and unpaid) work of our Board and Council. Meeting many of our members and coming to appreciate their dedication and their inspiring leadership by example has been both personally humbling and exalting in pride that AMA Queensland has such worthy members.

As I think every president before me has found, the work begins during the President-Elect year as we step into various roles to represent our organisation.

2011 began with disasters for Queensland, natural and bureaucratic. The floods and cyclone saw three-quarters of Queensland declared a disaster zone. AMA Queensland was quick to act, organising medical support teams to affected areas, offering assistance to affected members and providing the leading public voice on practical health-related advice.

I was particularly proud of our many members who volunteered their services and of our hard-working staff who, in very difficult circumstances, coordinated and linked these volunteers into services on the ground, such as St John Ambulance.

AMA Queensland was the first to raise concerns for mental health of young and old, drawing attention to distressed children across the state experiencing the disasters either directly or, given the intense and repeated media coverage, indirectly, fearing that with the next storm, their house would be swept away and their siblings taken from them. This led to development of See the Signs, an awareness campaign of seven early signs of distress, anxiety and depression. It encouraged people to look out for and support each other and seek early medical assistance.

Annual General Meeting

for Queensland Branch of Australian Medical Association Tuesday 22 May 2012 6.30pm Hunstanton, 88 L’Estrange Terrace, Kelvin Grove

All members are welcome and encouraged to participate and have a say about this, your organisation.

Read the 2011 Annual report online at www.amaq.com.au 6

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

A change of Health Minister in 2011 did not staunch the financial haemorrhage of the payroll debacle, with at least $60 million alleged overpayments and a total anticipated cost of $220 million to Queensland Health.

AMA Queensland was busy ensuring our members got a fair deal, timely guidance, expeditious information and support from staff. I was proud of many members who magnanimously delayed submitting claims to allow other Queensland Health staff in perilous circumstances to submit their claims.

2011 Achievements

In the last editon, I touched on 2011 achievements of AMA Queensland and echo again our effective interventions and leadership against: • bad cost-cutting proposals such as limiting the number of outpatient appointments per patient • rejection of referrals of all categories to public hospital specialists because patients cannot be seen in the recommended time • smoke-and-mirror spin claiming Queensland has the shortest waiting lists for elective surgery; not acknowledging the ‘waiting list for the waiting list’ or the ‘rejected referral never getting on the waiting list waiting list’ • access block and ambulance ramping with only a widening of the front door when a whole of hospital and health system approach is needed • cost-containment by way of, for example, theatre list cancellations at the Royal Children’s Hospital and newly-built and equipped theatres and wards at Robina Hospital unused, despite staff recruitment, apparently due to capital overruns • roll-out of Acute Primary Care Clinics • a flawed model of Nurse Practitioner-led clinics.

I am particularly proud of the Suicide Watch campaign, sponsored by AMAQ Foundation, in which members participated in an emotive video clip with the clear message ‘I am a GP, call me’. As a television advertisement, Suicide Watch ran for five weeks and received more than 3,000 hits on YouTube. Other campaigns included GP Under Threat, Time for Answers and, of course, our state election drive, Seven Stitches to Fix Queensland Health.

ELECTION AND BEYOND AMA Queensland was quick to congratulate the new Health Minister Lawrence Springborg and the Assistant Minister for Health, Dr Chris Davis, an active geriatrician and past president of AMA Queensland.

Each has received copies of Seven Stitches to Fix Queensland Health, offering solutions to the system’s most troubled areas: • a disengaged health workforce • a crippled public hospital system • an underfunded mental health system • an unplanned medical education program • a hospital system disengaged with general practitioners • inadequate services to whole areas of our society – indigenous and rural.

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AMA Queensland will work hard to ensure the new Queensland Government implements Local Health and Hospital Networks (LHHNs) with appropriate relationships to Medicare Locals and Lead Clinician Groups, ultimately delivering better care and service to patients. Underpinning this, we recommend senior positions in all hospitals should be a medical appointee who is involved in patient care. Q

Facing the media at Parliament durng the 2012 state election.

Talking to the media, unveiling a new low in service provision by Queensland Health, following a patient being refused access to a specialist at a Queensland Health hospital.

Top right:

Far left: Enjoying March’s Women in Medicine lunch with AMA member Zelle Hodge and a bub, bringing home the message of juggling motherhood and career.

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While the AMA will work constructively with them to fix Queensland Health, we will be firm in holding them to account. Key issues include improving access to paediatric ENT services, reducing long waiting times for elective surgery and increasing investment in mental health following more than a decade of underfunding.

The reality is Queensland has a critical state-wide shortage of hospital beds, doctors and nurses: South Brisbane, for example,needs another 900 beds today just to bring it up to the national average.

Government on notice AMA Queensland will produce a report for health using our Seven Stitches to Fix Queensland Health as a yardstick, based on the Newman Government’s first 100-days.

I commend Seven Stitches to Fix Queensland Health as valuable reading for all members.

Health is everyone’s business. It is time for real leadership and action from this new government to ensure our patients receive “the right care, in the right place, at the right time”.

Download it from http://www.amaq.com.au/sevenstitches DoctorQ MAY 2012

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CEO’S REPORT Politics in Queensland has certainly been the topic of conversation recently. It was an historic outcome on 24 March and now the LNP must tackle the state’s enormous level of debt - a daunting task, but a crucial one. Queensland has a new Health Minister in Lawrence Springborg and his Assistant Minister, Dr Chris Davis. We look forward to a constructive working relationship to achieve outcomes.

Where to now?

Jane Schmitt Chief Executive Officer AMA Queensland

While a change of Government gives voters a sense of hope, the reality is that there is a huge amount of work to be done to improve access to health service for patients. This strong need for investment, growth and improvement to our health system will need to be balanced with the reality of Queensland’s financial position.

A recent article in The Australian detailed a report released by ratings agency Fitch that indicated “Queensland’s budget position was not strong despite its resources-reliant economy… with the mid-year review forecast budget deficits of at least $6.9billion and $7.45billion likely over the next two years”.

It went on to point out that 50 per cent of Queensland’s costs are public sector costs. The Premier clearly knows this and has placed a 3 per cent annual cap on increases in public service employee expenses as part of his package to fund $4 billion in election promises over the next four years. This will impact negotiations that our partner union is undertaking with the government for the new enterprise bargaining agreement for salaried doctors (MOCA).

As the new Government embarks on its strategy to manage costs, pay down the state’s $85 billion debt and fulfil its promise of returning the state’s budget to surplus in 2014-2015, AMA Queensland will seek regular meetings with our health department to clarify the areas where further cuts simply cannot be made and where investment is most needed. We understand the dire financial position the state is in; however, a strong health system for the health of all Queenslanders is paramount.

Our Queensland Economy

It is because of this bigger economic picture that Doctor Q is extending its Current Issues pages from focusing on issues traditionally of a medical nature (and more specifically, policy) to broader issues including those of our state economy and how they impact with relationships internationally. Guest contributor, resources writer Michele Grant, kicks it off with a look at coal seam gas.

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MAY 2012 DoctorQ

AMA Queensland Foundation

For the last decade, the AMA Queensland Foundation has delivered vital medical help and made a difference to the lives of people in need.

Continued success depends on our ability to raise significant funds from members/donors, corporate partnerships, bequests and via special events. That is why AMA Queensland is planning to use its strong voice in the industry to help promote the Foundation and we are asking all Doctor Q readers and AMA members to do the same.

The Foundation needs your help to identify local medical needs plus your generosity to help make a difference and strengthen its voice throughout Queensland. With your help we can continue to buy wheelchairs for children suffering from muscular dystrophy, new incubators and Cyto Spin machines to support vital cancer research and new medical equipment for towns affected by natural disasters.

Presidential Inauguration

All members are encouraged to attend the Presidential Inauguration on Friday 15 June 2012, where we celebrate the achievements of AMA Queensland President Richard Kidd, inaugurate President-Elect Dr Alex Markwell to the Presidential position and welcome the nominated President-Elect. View the invitation on page 17 for further event information.

Women in Medicine Lunch success

In March we held our very first Women in Medicine Lunch and what a success it was! Not only was the event a sell-out but the speakers were fabulous and the feedback we received from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Overall it was a fantastic networking and learning event. Thank you to all who attended and to our sponsors who supported the event.

See photos from the lunch on page 49 and be sure to check out our upcoming events listed on page 46. Q

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IN BRIEF

Find out more about PCEHR

The AMA has produced a draft guide on how to use the personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR), due to rollout from 1 July.

AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton said while the AMA would have preferred an opt-out system for PCEHR, this guide would help medical practitioners make better informed choices about participating in it, explaining how it might be used in day-to-day practice.

“The PCEHR system puts patients in the drivers’ seats for managing their health information but has practical clinical limitations for medical practitioners in the treatments of patients in respect of information content, accuracy and accessibility,” Dr Hambleton said.

“We consider the PCEHR will become a valuable addition to quality health in Australia over time but we have also advised the Government that there will be very few medical practitioners with the capability to interact with the system from the 1 July start date.”

Sweet rewards offered Do you have a patient with diabetes who really is trying to make the most of life with arguably Australia’s fastest-growing, most lifestyle-oriented condition?

Nominate your patient for the 2012 Sweet Talk Awards!

The awards recognise and reward the ongoing achievements of people affected by diabetes (Types 1 and 2).

Online nominations close 22 June 2012.

Find out more about the Awards at www. sweettalkdabetes.com.au Australia’s former Queen of Pop, music legend Marcia Hines (right) knows all about living life to the full with diabetes. Q

The draft AMA Guide to Using PCEHR is at http://ama.com.au/ node/7648. Q

Defending medical certificates

mbs ITEM NUMBERS DEMYSTIFIED

The Department of Human Services has introduced a Medicare enquiry email service to answer doctors’ specific questions about the correct Medical Benefit Schedule (MBS) items for particular medical services.

Doctors or practice managers can email MBS item questions to askMBS@humanservices.gov.au for a direct answer from a centralised specially-trained team.

The integrity of medical certificates was dragged into the middle of a political brouhaha in Canberra recently as the federal Opposition questioned the health of embattled Labor MP Craig Thomson.

AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton has stood firm, reminding journalists that a medical certificate is a legal document and that patient confidentiality is sacrosanct.

“All it has to say is that the doctor has certified someone is unwell,” Dr Hambleton reiterated.

“The MBS is very complex and there are many grey areas,” said AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton in welcoming the initiative.

“Some employers want further information but that information can only be supplied with permission of the patient.

“If questions are raised about interpretations of MBS items, doctors can now refer to the written advice they have received from the department and ask for it to be considered should there be any investigations.” Q

“All Australians are entitled to their privacy and to keep their medical conditions confidential.

“If a doctor makes a certificate knowingly that misleads an employer, or is false, they can be subject to quite serious sanctions, and both civil and criminal penalties.” Q

Green - for once may be good medicine

Frogs are the latest in science’s line of defence to beat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Nuclear scientists at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation are specifically analysing synthetic anti-microbial secretions of Australian Green-Eyed and Growling Grass frogs.

“With the increase in antibiotic resistance, peptides (small proteins) that destroy cell membranes are being considered as therapeutics. However, there is a need for peptides that preferentially destroy bacterial membranes,” said project leader Professor Frances Separovic.

“We have characterised several peptides from the skin glands of Australian tree frogs. These peptides are host defence compounds, which have strong antibacterial activity.

“By understanding their 3D structure and mechanism of action at the molecular level, we may be able to increase their antibiotic potency and specificity.”

“Component by component analysis will help us understand how two different types of frog peptides from two different types of frogs deliver the same outcome: dead bacteria.” Q

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AMA Queensland NEWS

bULLYING NO-GO

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ew technologies have taken childhood bullying to unprecedented levels: a recent survey of 24 countries found Australia to be the worst place for social network bullying with at least 15 per cent of school students falling prey at least once.

Bullying: What you need to know explains what bullying is, provides specific information on cyber bullying and gives advice on how to deal with being bullied and how to identify bullying behaviour.

AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton and federal Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth Peter Garrett recently launched two AMA-developed practical anti-bullying tools.

• Bullying: What you need to know http://ama.com.au/youthhealth/ bullying

AMA Guidance for Doctors on Childhood Bullying provides fact sheets on childhood bullying and its health impacts.

ASMOFQ e-newsletter

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weekly e-newsletter is appearing in inboxes of AMA Queensland salaried members, providing timely updates from Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation Queensland (ASMOFQ) about negotiations for the new Medical Officers’ Certified Agreement (MOCA).

Negotiation meetings are held every Wednesday. The newsletter not only provides an overview of what transpired but also what is scheduled for the following week. Importantly, ASMOFQ seeks your input to ensure the agreement negotiated works for your pay and conditions.

Electronic versions of the brochures are available:

• AMA Guidance for Doctors on Childhood Bullying http://ama.com.au/ youthhealth/bullying-guidance-for-doctors Hard copies are available from the Federal AMA: mrickard@ama.com.au.Q

ASMOFQ membership is included in your AMA Queensland membership.

Contact AMA Queensland Workplace Relations Manager and ASMOFQ Industrial Relations Officer Andrew Turner on (07) 3872 2207 or email asmofq@amaq.com.au for more information on ASMOFQ or MOCA. Q

REGISTER NOW FOR THE

LEADING IN MEDICAL CARE AMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2012 25 – 27 MAY 2012, GRAND HYATT, MELBOURNE

The AMA invites you to attend its 2012 National Conference, a two and a half day program that features keynote addresses from leaders in medical care, workshops on topical issues affecting medical practice and policy sessions on contemporary matters affecting the Australian health system.

Some of our keynote speakers include: Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham PC KBE, Former Health Minister in the United Kingdom and Chair of Surgery at St Mary’s Hospital in London Dr Nick Coatsworth - President, Medécins Sans Frontières Professor Tim Flannery - Chief Climate Commissioner The AMA National Conference is open to all medical professionals, both AMA members and non members.

To register please visit www.ama.com.au/nationalconference, contact 02 6270 5474 or email natcon@ama.com.au.

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Feature story

Dr Noel Hayman

Being ‘Indigenous-friendly’ is within reach of any mainstream medical practice, Heather Grant learns.

It’s widely thought that Aboriginal community controlled health centres are the mainstay of Indigenous health and that it is within those centres that the ambitious health goals of Australia’s Closing the Gap strategy will be realised.

Both are misconceptions. AMA Queensland’s Indigenous Health Committee chair Dr Noel Hayman believes mainstream medical services have a significant contribution to play in closing the gap.

“Two-thirds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are urban dwellers. And let’s be quite plain about it: you can’t necessarily tell by looking,” says Dr Hayman.

“There are over 150 community-controlled health services across Australia; just over 30 in Queensland. It’s just impossible for them to look after everyone in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

So, four years into the Closing the Gap strategy which seeks, among its goals, to close the life expectancy gap within a generation and halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade, what can be done?

The answer rests largely with improving Indigenous access to primary health care at levels appropriate to patient needs.

While statistics suggest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients visit a GP or specialist (either in a private practice or an Indigenous primary health care service) at a similar rate to other Australians, they are over-represented in hospital emergency departments, don’t get the specialist follow-up care and don’t access prescription medicines. Patients under 15 years are typically not seen as much as other Australian children either.

At his own mainstream practice in a Brisbane suburb, Dr Hayman has seen Indigenous patient attendance rise from 12 in 1995 to more than 6,000, involving about 1,500 doctor consultations a month, with flow-on improved health outcomes.

For access ‘appropriate to need’ to happen, Dr Hayman says, “It’s time for mainstream private practices to rise to the challenge and do their bit in improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.”

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Dr noel hayman puts the essentials down to four steps: Actively engage your local community’s Elders. Ask about the health concerns for their mob and how they would like them to be addressed.

Ask every patient: ‘Do you identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent or heritage?’ Capturing this information may surprise you, says Hayman. “You cannot guess who is Indigenous and who is not.” The answer has numerous implications beyond cultural sensitivity. It can clue a doctor in to health checks that may otherwise be discounted and open the way for health funding assistance, for both the practice and the patient.

Invest in cultural awareness training for staff, beyond the Practice Incentive Program-Indigenous Health Incentive (PIP-IH) requirement.

Indigenous Health Incentive PIP payments – Why should your practice sign up?

Benefits for your practice • $1000 sign-on payment per practice • $250 payment per eligible patient per year • Annual payments of $100-$150 for achieving a target level of care of registered patients.

Benefits for patients

Find out about Closing the Gap funding opportunities to help your practice provide enhanced patient-focused primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and assist your patients to more affordable care—and register for them: • The Indigenous chronic disease package provides funding to compensate for the shortfall in Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) expenditure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience a greater burden of disease.

• PIP-IHI, administered by Medicare, provides payments based on accredited practices’ size.

• Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Co-payments provides cheaper medicines to PIP-IHI patients.

Specialists’ role While the focus for accessible primary health care is on general practice, Hayman says medical specialists have a significant part to play too.

As part of the Closing the Gap commitment, the Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program (MSOAP) was expanded, enabling multidisciplinary teams to deliver treatments and health care in rural and remote communities.

The Urban Specialist Outreach Assistance Program (USOAP) takes specialists to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in the suburbs. Hayman, Inala Indigenous Health Service’s clinical director, says an endocrinologist, paediatrician, ophthalmologist and cardiologist visit his Brisbane clinic monthly.

Cheaper prescriptions - Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients who have, or are at risk of having, a chronic disease can have their co-payments for prescriptions reduced to $5.80 or nil, depending on their circumstances.

Reduced specialist fees - as long as the patient is referred to the specialist by an accredited GP practice or an Aboriginal-controlled health care centre.

How to participate Practices must be part of the PIP program and fill out an application form for the Indigenous Health Incentive.

Register eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients (with their consent).

Establish a procedure or mechanism to follow up patients – this could be through a recall or reminder system.

Undertake cultural awareness training within 12 months of joining the program. RACGP runs a free online training course for this purpose at www.gplearing.com.au .

Annotate PBS prescriptions for registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

Further information can be found at www.medicareaustralia.gov.au Above image courtesy of QLD Health

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Feature story

Snapshot of health shame Indigenous Australians experience the worst health of any identifiable cultural group in the nation: An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander boy born in 2007 can expect to live 11.5 years less (67.2) than other Australian boys An Indigenous girl born in 2007 can expect to die 9.7 years before her other Australian counterparts (age 72.9)

Two-fold rate of low birth weight in Indigenous babies

Three-fold mortality rates among Indigenous 12-24 year

2.7 times more likely to die as a result of diabetes

3.6 times more likely to die from liver diseases

3.9 times more likely to be hospitalised for major preventable chronic conditions

30 times more likely to discharge against advice

Practice learnings Three years ago, Majellan Medical Centre joined Moreton Bay Regional Elders Council and Queensland Health in a partnership to deliver improved health care for Indigenous patients. GP Paul Johanson explains what was needed: “Three key constraints were identified as stopping patients from seeing a doctor: time, cost and transport.

“The time issue has been addressed by running Wednesday afternoon clinics specifically for Indigenous patients. We take walk-ins. We accept that there may be no-shows. The afternoon clinic allows for longer consultations. That’s important. Patients need to feel that they are being listened to. And patients often have multiple problems that haven’t been sorted out: there ‘s a lot of work to be done.

“Once comfortable with coming to the practice, we see patients willing to come at other times and be seen by other doctors. That’s the key to our service’s sustainability.

“Ours is a practitioner-owned private billing practice, and affordability is an issue. The Wednesday clinic sessions are bulk billed and half the doctors in the practice have agreed to bulk bill registered Indigenous patients seen at other times during the week.

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CASE STUDY “Transport was sorted by the Elders. Metro North Brisbane Medicare Local now pays for a bus, organised by Regional Community Association-Moreton Bay, on clinic days. ” Dr Johanson says an ongoing relationship with the Elders is vital for the practice’s growth and success; but it takes some flexible thinking.

“I’ve learnt and accepted that the Aboriginal way of doing things may be to spend time getting to know one another before doing business. I get invitations to community events—and there’s an expectation I’ll attend. Gaining respect and trust extends beyond the clinic doors.”

Dr Johanson says capturing data about Indigenous identity challenged some members of the practice but has been streamlined into a registration question at the front desk.

From 10 patients previously identified as Indigenous, the practice now has 273. Monthly consultations have risen from 9 to 105.

“The question has to be asked. Lose the idea of ‘how aboriginal a person is’. It’s about a person identifying.” Q

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Feature story story feature

The March state election landslide saw one-time Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg elevated to Health Minister and former AMA state president Dr Chris Davis become his Assistant Minister.

AMA Queensland’s Communications Officer Stephanie Shield asked seven members how they would bring Minister Springborg up to speed on the myriad on what they perceived as ‘the most pressing’, if stuck in an elevator with him for a few minutes.

From a global medical perspective I would In the lead up to the recent State election, the LNP ‘committed’ $15 million like to see more equality of medical delivery over four years to the Cairns Base Hospital ‘as the first step towards Tier 1 over the whole state. From a psychiatrists status’. What will the new State Government do right now to try and correct perspective I would like to see more focus major deficiencies such as a public hospital system that is deficient in on the treatment of early psychosis and Emergency Department/ICU/inpatient beds and lack of specialists in many effort spent addressing the known risk medical/surgical specialties? factors of mental illness. From a personal Dr Anthony Kresevic perspective I would like to see the VMO Edmonton General Practitioner agreement honoured and settled.

How does the Dr Kevin Calder-Potts Health Minister plan to Psychiatrist in Brisbane and address the increasing number of Visiting Medical Officer graduating medical students, especially if domestic students begin missing out on internship placements in the near future.

Hashim Abdeen MedSoc president, Bond University

Retired doctors in Queensland are calling for retention of the registration category, Limited registration Public Interest Occasional Practice and for the ability of those doctors who were de-registered after 30 June 2010 to apply for such registration. Our senior doctors could bring a wealth of experience to a whole range of government and community activities. They should be utilised as an expert resource, not discarded.

Our Outpatient Departments are already are pushed for space with long waiting lists. Some departments, such as Ear Nose and Throat exceeding 18months - 3 years. I would be interested to know how the government plans to implement 40,000 extra specialist outpatient services each year.

Dr Claire Wohlfahrt Doctor-in-training at Townsville Hospital

Dr Frank Johnson Retired General Practitioner Runaway Bay

Patients attending emergency departments rightly expect to be seen by a doctor, treated appropriately and either admitted to a ward bed or discharged home in a timely manner.

Achieving this target (currently four hours) requires a coordinated approach from the whole of the hospital. I would like Minister Springborg to ensure emergency department and inpatient services are supported to achieve this target through application of best practice in patient flow, and supporting cultural change toward patient (not practitioner) focus in hospitals.

The care of elderly patients in our hospital system also requires urgent review.

Dr Victoria Brazil Brisbane emergency physician and Associate Professor Bond School of Medicine

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There is increasing demand on general practitioners to teach and train undergraduates and pre-vocational junior doctors in clinical general practice, as well as in vocational training of registrars to specialist recognition as general practitioners. The general practice workforce involved in these is under pressure and it needs more support.

Dr Jane Smith Associate Professor and Head of General Practice Bond University

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Conference conference

AMA Queensland annual conference 2012

Madrid SPAIN • 23 – 29 SEPTEMBER 2012

Please contact Neil Mackintosh to request a copy of the Madrid brochure on Phone: 07 3872 2267 or email: n.mackintosh@amaq.com.au

SPONSORS 18

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Conference

Associate Professor David Colquhoun Eminent cardiologist David Colquhoun is excited about the AMA Queensland conference meeting in Madrid.

“Use the opportunity for a field trip to discover the benefits of the Mediterranean diet,” he urges delegates.

“While so many countries are ‘Mediterranean’ - and the original and best of the diets is based on the traditional foods of Naples in Italy - we can learn good eating practices and good lifestyle lessons from the Spanish.

“We can mimic and adapt to reap health benefits.

biography

Associate Professor David Colquhoun is the AMA Queensland’s spokesperson for cardiology.

A private practice specialist, Dr Colquhoun has a private research organisation (CORE Research) and heads cardiovascular research at Greenslopes Private Hospital.

“Spain is the largest producer in the world of olive oil—a good oil—and traditional Spanish cuisine like paella is much healthier than more northern food styles.”

The Brisbane associate professor is known worldwide for his research over 25 years in the areas of lipids, nutrition, nutraceuticals and physiological aspects of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Dr Colquhoun promises to present the very latest research on the benefits of Mediterranean diet, including results of an American study of 88,000 nurses over 20 years.

His expertise is widely sought-after on panels and working groups, in Australia and internationally. He was the only cardiologist invited to attend the 2020 National Summit, nominated by the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

Dr Colquhoun is a member of the Scientific Committee of National Institute of Complementary Medicine.

Professor Gerry FitzGerald Each day, 16,000 Australians are treated at hospital emergency departments (EDs) and 6,000 patients are transported by ambulance.

It’s in those bustling EDs where patient presentations have increased 37 per cent in a decade, says QUT professor of health Gerry FitzGerald, that lessons can be learnt for disaster preparedness.

“We have never had a single event with 16,000 casualties in one day. Yet those in EDs experience them every day!

“If we get emergency rooms right, we get the emergency health aspects of disaster management right.

“Emergency preparedness is not about infrastructure so much as systems.

biography

Professor Gerry FitzGerald is an emergency physician, co-founder of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, former commissioner of Queensland Ambulance Service and chief health officer of Queensland.

He is Professor of Health at Queensland University of Technology, leading the development of emergency

“We need a health system that operates well for the daily demands of emergency and has elasticity, a scalable arrangement in which to cope with extremes: a strong health system and strong community preparedness, such as first aid training, in place.”

An emergency physician and former head of Queensland Ambulance Service, Professor FitzGerald predicts climate change incidents like prolonged heatwaves—not catastrophic earthquakes or tsunamis—will be what test Australia’s emergency management capabilities.

Professor FitzGerald will share latest findings informing national policy development for emergency and disaster management at the AMAQ conference in Madrid.

and disaster management education and research, including short course programs delivered to international organisations.

FitzGerald graduated from the Medical School of the University of Queensland in 1976 and gained his Doctor of Medicine in 1990.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Image courtesy of

Quest Newspapers

Dr Mark Loane Ophthalmologist and Australian rugby union legend Mark Loane provides insight to a program improving sight in remote Queensland Indigenous communities.

Q: You have delivered ophthalmological services to far north Indigenous communities since 1999. Tell us about that.

The Cape York regional eye health program is a federal/state co-operative run by the Wuchopperan Health Service, out of Cairns, visiting 12 remote communities and covering an area larger than Victoria. I’m just part of the team. Optometrists do the backbreaking stuff, examining patients, looking after basic eye care, and fixing what can be fixed without surgery.

Four ophthalmologists do the assessments and two, myself included, fly to Weipa for surgery: mainly advanced cataracts and laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy. The program runs from March to November, during the Dry and I spend at least two weeks, sometimes three, up there, twice a year.

Our technology is so mobile; it fits into a light aircraft. We can now do laser surgery there and then in the communities.

We try to do as much as can in the community to keep people close to home.

Q: How much work is there?

The Cape has a population of about 17 000 people. Over 12 years, we’ve treated 750 cataracts, countless laser procedures for diabetic retinopathy and handed out hundreds of glasses.

We’ve served a very significant proportion.

We operate on 75 to 80 cases a week during a surgery visit.

We used to think it would dwindle; that it was like felling a

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virgin rainforest, at some point we’d come through. But the need hasn’t stopped.

Q: You are seen as quite the folk hero – for rugby and your surgical work. How does that sit?

I learnt a long time ago that there’s no ‘I’ in team. A single personality and single willpower do you no good in the end.

The structure of the team determines what works and what fails. It’s important for Indigenous people, like all people, to see the same people coming back year after year, to build familiarity and trust. What we’re trying to build is a reliable, repeatable team service that’s not reliant on one individual.

Q: What improvements have you seen in rural specialist medicine?

Technology, computerisation, and communications: they are all making it better and better. The sharing of information - record tracking, case histories - has improved incredibly.

That benefits patients and medicos.

We have air-conditioned facilities in all the communities and an excellent hospital in Weipa.

Accommodation for visiting specialists and the airport have improved too; that’s important when trying to attract specialists to these remote areas.

did you know?

Eye or sight problems affect about 1 in 3 Indigenous people living in non-remote areas and 1 in 4 living in remote areas.

Blindness is around 1.5 times more common for Indigenous people than for non-Indigenous people.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Australia, 2004-05. Australian Bureau of Statistics

*

Above image courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Q: What attracts you to this? It’s a long way from the facilities and comforts of your Brisbane practice.

I spent my childhood in Cooktown. I have very fond memories of playing with Indigenous children and their friendships. They were idyllic times. I admire the people of the North and am thankful they trust me enough to turn up.

When I’m in the Cape country, I feel ‘better’.

Besides the people, I love the remoteness of the landscape - the sandstone escarpments have some of the greatest Palaeolithic Age art known - and the birdlife is extraordinary.

Q: You’re a man with diverse interests: art among them.

I’m half way through a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. I’ve been a bit distracted from my studies (by ophthalmology) but I do hope to finish. Fortunately my wife shares most of my interests with me.

Q: Why are you a member of the AMA?

It’s an organisation, I think, like no other. Senior AMA members have seen tens of thousands of patients as individuals during their careers. With that exposure, you can never lose sight of the obvious individual needs of patients. That’s why the AMA will always be well-placed as an advocate for patient needs. Q

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CURRENT ISSUES

The Medical Assessment Tribunal is a unique feature of the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme. Dr John North, Chairman of the Orthopaedic Assessment Tribunal at Q-COMP, sheds some light on the topic.

For more information on Q-COMP or the Medical Assessment Tribunals, visit qcomp.com.au or call 1300 738 197

T

he Medical Assessment Tribunal makes definitive decisions on medical matters relating to workers’ compensation claims such as determining if an injured person has sustained a permanent impairment or has an ongoing incapacity from the accepted work injury.

The Tribunals, of which there are eight—Orthopaedic, Neurology/Neurosurgical, Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmological, Cardiac, Dermatological, Prescribed Disfigurement and General Medical—are a non-confrontational arena for these matters to be heard, and assessments have medical basis; not legal.

Each Orthopaedic Assessment Tribunal, for example, consists of three orthopaedic surgeons.

A Medical Assessment Tribunal operates at no cost to the injured person: even travel and accommodation costs are covered by the workers’ compensation insurer.

The assessment of permanent impairment uses the 4th edition of the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment as the legislatively prescribed method of assessment.

Pre-reading is important with respect to understanding the case and the injury suffered. The Tribunal reads all the data available to it prior to the tribunal hearing during which the panel doctors interview the worker to verify the history of the injury and the person’s treatment.

In an orthopaedic case, a comprehensive orthopaedic examination of the injured regions is undertaken by one of the specialists with the other members in the room observing. Female injured workers may request a chaperone as well during the examination. On occasions, segments of examination may be taken by an alternative member of the tribunal panel of doctors.

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On the day, the patient may be represented by a legal person, and the injured person may also bring a support person (such as a union organiser or family member) into the tribunal hearing.

The Tribunal takes into account all x-rays, scans and other investigations. The nature of the injury and the reason for referral are all carefully considered. Postinjury activities which might include surgery, or other allied health interventions, are also taken into account.

After thorough discussion and consideration of all aspects of the case, the Tribunal makes its decision and writes a report outlining its reasons, in plain English, as much as possible, to help the injured person and insurers understand the grounds for their decision.

The report includes a summary of the injury and the history regarding the injury and other co-morbidities if necessary.

The referring insurer presents a number of questions to each Tribunal, and these questions must be answered in accordance with the legislation.

The Tribunal acts as a panel and presents its findings as a panel, not as individuals.

The Tribunal secretariat at Q-COMP sends the findings to the insurer and the worker after all of the doctors on the tribunal panel have signed off on the decision. Q

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www.diabetes.medway.com.au DoctorQ MAY 2012

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CURRENT ISSUES

Member Relations Manager Andrew Turner unpackages the federal parliamentary report that signals big changes for overseas trained doctors..

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FOUNDATION

Special delivery at Red Hill Special School

A

MAQ Foundation visited Red Hill Special School recently to celebrate the arrival of highly specialised equipment improving independence for children with disabilities.

The AMAQ Foundation’s donation of $11,500 bought three specialised supportive chairs – an Advancement Chair, Gamma Chair and Giraffe Chair.

For children who are unable to hold themselves up in a sitting position, these chairs allow them to be at the same level as their peers, enabling them to participate, engage and learn. The chairs’ supportive design also helps improve muscle tone and teach postural control.

AMA Queensland CEO Jane Schmitt (right) with student Angus Dowling (left) .

The school has received $52,000 of equipment from AMAQ Foundation since 2009. Q

Adania Evans (left), sitting in the Griaffe chair, gives the thumbs-up to (left to right) AMAQ Foundation president Dr Steve Hambleton, Foundation director Ross Noye and its executive director Jane Schmitt.

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CURRENT ISSUES

Resources writer Michele Grant explains what coal seam gas means to Queensland’s economy.

C

oal Seam Gas (CSG) is big business for Queensland. Granted, there is considerable resistance from anti-development groups, farmers and environmentalists but with conventional sources of gas dwindling, the world is looking for new sources of energy and CSG fits the bill.

The economic benefit to Queensland will be enormous, trickling down from the huge multi-national mining companies through to householders.

Queensland has 98 per cent of Australia’s prove coal seam gas and has seen a tripling of gas-fired electricity generation in the past five years. Nearly 2500 people were recruited just in Queensland in the second half of 2011—and CSG players are making capital investment commitments at a rate of $30,000 per minute.

Economic studies have indicated that a medium-sized 28 million-tonnes-per annum CSG to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry could generate more than 18,000 jobs in Queensland with 4,300 jobs in the Surat Basin alone.

The economic benefit to Queensland will be enormous, trickling down from the huge multi-national mining companies through to householders.

This would increase gross state production by over $3 billion or one per cent and generate private sector investment by more than $45 billion.

The ripple effect of such prosperity could see royalties of some $850 million come to the state government, starting in the 2014-15 financial year, and it’s already counting on the royalties, earmarking the influx to its coffers for vital services such as schools and hospitals. Companies across the state are currently winning multi-million dollar contracts offering everything from manufacturing and labour to retail and hospitality for leading resource companies.

And it’s not just big business benefitting from the CSG-LNG industry expansion in the state. Small local operators are also reaping the rewards, breathing new life into regional centres.

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The CSG investors in Queensland read like a who’s who of the top flight global business world—British Gas, Sinopec, Tokyo Gas, GNOOC, PETRONAS, Conoco Phillips and Shell—and the sums being invested are eye-watering.

One of the biggest projects is the Australia Pacific LNG scheme (APLNG) in the Surat and Bowen Basins in the state’s south-west and central regions. The $35 billion project will see the construction of a 520 kilometre gas transmission pipeline from the gas fields to an LNG facility on Curtis Island, off the coast of Gladstone, the first two gas production trains processing up to nine million tonnes per annum.

It sounds like the shot-in-the-arm Queensland’s economy cannot afford not to have but there are downsides. While the CSG industry gives assurances that strategically valuable farming land will not be affected and precautions are in place to prevent or minimise negative impacts, it concedes that problems can occur.

Now with the discovery of fracking, the global gigajoule price is set to come down from $10 in the international market place to $2.

Fracking is the term heard most in the anti-CSG debate. There are concerns that potentially carcinogenic chemicals can sometimes escape and find their way into drinking water sources. Some American householders have claimed that shale gas leaking into their drinking water supply has caused tap water to ignite and the fracking process was blamed for two small earthquakes (1.5 and 2.2 magnitude) in the Blackpool area of England last year, leading to a suspension of the operation pending investigation.

Regardless of the bad press, there can be little doubt that Queensland’s multi-million dollar CSG industry will power ahead. After all energy, employment and revenue are hard to resist. Q

CURRENT ISSUES

Six months in the Caribbean sounds dreamy, unless it’s a posting to a disaster zone. Obstetrics registrar Sneha Parghi, 29, reflects on her time as part of the international aid effort to help heal and care following Haiti’s earthquake in 2010.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that brought Haiti to the ground struck on 12 January 2010, just 16 kilometres west of the island nation’s capital Port-au-Prince and its two million inhabitants. Médecins Sans Frontières was quickly on the ground and while it’s less common for junior doctors to be posted - I had 3 1/2 years experience - I found myself accepted and on my way six months later. What I lacked in years perhaps I made up for in experiences that were not all in city facilities. As a student, I had opted for electives that took me to East Africa and India and post-graduation, I spent a year in Alice Springs.

In Sydney I was told my job would be to run the outpatients section of Chatuley Hospital, only 30 kilometres from the capital but a two-hour drive because the earthquake had turned infrastructure including roads to rubble. It was the only health facility in the area. On arrival, I learnt I would also be taking on paediatrics and neonatology. We had a large ex-pat team - nurses, doctors, logisticians, HR, water and sanitation specialists - and we supervised a group

of about 14 national doctors. French is the national language and with an interpreter for only one week, my high school French came in handy; as did gesticulation!

Chatuley was a 100-bed tent hospital when I arrived.

By the time I left, we’d moved into refurbished shipping containers with 150-bed capacity! We also lived in a tent compound.

Clockwise from left: A toddler with cutaneous anthrax; Dr Sneha Parghi on the job; the endless stream of outpatients waiting.

It was always hot and humid, and the smell of chlorine from the nearby Cholera Treatment Centre hung in the air.

I had one year’s O&G before Haiti but the clinical experience I gained there was amazing. Dealing with eclampsia became second nature.

Haiti was an eye-opener. It was an incredible opportunity to actually treat diseases I would only have read about in Australia - cholera, cutaneous anthrax, tetanus, leptospirosis, TB, rheumatic fever, typhoid and HIV. And the beauty of MSF is that the organisation prides itself on training local staff so that when MSF leaves, the work can continue. Q

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Feature story feature

sOCIAL MEDIA: A MEDICO’S NEXT BEST FRIEND? Social media poses a classic case for the medical profession of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. Doctor Q’s Heather Grant sought out Queensland University of Technology’s Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett to find out how....

At least eight million* Australians use the internet at home: for information or entertainment; to rant or share views; to be a part of a ‘virtual’ community at a time and in place convenient to them. Emailing and social media dominates internet usage with online health searches the third most popular Internet activity: one 2011 study found eight out of 10 female Internet users relied on online health information.

Any wonder then that doctors like Carindale’s Noela Whitby have noticed a shift in the doctor-patient relationship as she described in a recent The Business of Private Practice and Medicine e-newsletter: “Patients are far more likely to come (to see me) with a provisional diagnosis determined from their Googling of symptoms.

They know more about treatments, medications, side-effects—even the specialists they may be referred—and can be quite assertive, questioning our choices for their care.”

“The choice is not can you stop the conversations happening online in blogs, online forums and Facebook but how you can become a part.”

The rise of citizen scientists

Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett, from QUT Business School, calls these patients ‘citizen scientists’: Internet users ‘surfing’ for information, embracing usergenerated content such as blogs, personal websites and online social networking.

The risk, of course, is that there’s a proliferation of bad advice on the Internet and how can someone without the years of medical study possibly weed out the good, the bad and the downright dangerous?

The answer rests in getting involved in a positive way.

“Since the beginning of time, any innovation has carried with it a propensity for risk,” says Prof Russell-Bennett.

useful resource The AMA has its own guide to online professionalism for medical practitioners and medical students.

“What did people say of the dangers of the Bible being translated from Latin into English, and printed for the masses; or indeed of the invention of television? There is nothing moral or immoral about the technology. It’s how it’s used that colours that.

“But the medical profession could view this trend in social media as an opportunity instead. It is a great opportunity to take medicine and health information to consumers and help them become better informed and aid medical practitioners in their decision-making.”

Positively proactive

Prof Russell-Bennett, a guest speaker at a Diabetes forum for medical practitioners in April, said there was a legitimate place for associations such as the AMA and their specialist interest groups to have professional Facebook entities, providing useful links to reliable information and encouraging discussion on ‘hot’ health topics.

She also recommended medicos get involved in online forums and chats: “We’re seeing a lot of online support groups for medical conditions and this is an area doctors can really tune in. For a patient, going along to a support group physically may be an admission of failure or it may not be convenient or geographically possible. The social cost of attending a meeting may outweigh what they see as gains… but online support provides convenience and is not intrusive.”

But be careful of your tone, Prof Russell-Bennett cautions: “If advice that’s been posted on, for example, a parenting forum and it is good advice, endorse it in your professional capacity. Congratulate and provide a little more detail if necessary—or a useful link. That third party endorsement is valuable.

“Citizen scientists are more likely to seek out more of your responses, so you are subtly driving them to quality information.

“Bagging the bad doesn’t work. It needs to be more carefully framed than ‘rubbish’.

Prof Russell-Bennett says YouTube could become a great tool for the medical profession, presenting practical ‘how to’ demonstrations (such as how to inject insulin).

http://ama.com.au/socialmedia

* Australian Bureau of Statistics

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5 Social Media

Commandments Never accept a patient as a ‘friend’ on a personal Facebook (FB), or similar. Ensure your private FB security setting are for ‘friends only’.

It’s okay (in fact, desirable) for patients to ‘like’ your ‘professional’ FB page.

Always be careful what you say. Think about confidentiality and defamation. A rant that may harm the reputation of a colleague, for example, could lead to a civil defamation case.

Be mindful of where information about you may end up. Recruiters routinely access online material to learn more about candidates. Even deleted information is stored somewhere in cyberspace - and could come back to bite. Go ahead: ego-surf. Google your full name, selecting ‘Australian sites only’. Are you comfortable with the results that are shown?

Always maintain professional standards online.

What’s what in social media Social media refers to the various online technology tools that enable people to communicate easily via the internet to share information and resources. The most popular are: Facebook - the most popular social networking website, in which users create and customise their own profiles with photos, videos, and information about themselves or their interests. For businesses - or medical groups - Facebook is a free means of promoting a service or product, directly encouraging interaction and sharing information with clients.

YouTube - a video-sharing website, on which users can upload, share, and view videos.

Linkedin - a business-oriented social networking website for professionals.

Twitter - an online social networking online social networking service and microblogging service, restricting test posts to 140 characters!

Blogs - a modern and very public twist on journaling, in which an individual or a group of users record opinions and information on a regular basis.

‘Apps’ or Applications - are often confused with social media. Apps or ‘smartphone’ applications are typically individual in nature. Unless the app allows you to connect with other people, it’s not social media. But they play a growing role complementing social media to create a virtual health service package, says Prof Russell-Bennett.

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8 - 10th June 2012 Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast

RDAQ 2012 – Register today!

The Rural Doctors Association of Queensland 23rd Annual Conference (RDAQ 2012) will review and analyse the future innovations, government policies and management of rural medicine in Queensland. The conference will be held at Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast from 8 – 10th June 2012. It will be a unique and wide ranging forum for exchanging ideas and developing new skills.

REGISTRATION

Registration is now open for this innovative rural medical event!

Please go to conference.rdaq.com.au to register online or to download the RDAQ 2012 Registration Brochure.

To take advantage of the earlybird discounted registration rate book by 25th March 2012!

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation at Hyatt Regency has been negotiated at a special conference rate. To view all of the accommodation options please go to the conference website.

RDAQ 2012 PROGRAM

Running over two days along with two additional days of pre conference workshops, the program includes the latest updates in clinical practice and training, topical presentations, discussion forums and policy updates. The program will also feature RDAQ’s traditional medico-political forum to discuss issues vital to the survival of rural and remote healthcare services. Program topics will revolve around “achieving excellence” in rural and remote healthcare and include, Mental Health in General Practice, Paediatric Radiology, Dermatology, Sexual Health and workforce issues.

To view the current RDAQ 2012 program please visit the conference website conference.rdaq.com.au

Event Management services for RDAQ 2012 provided by Health Workforce Queensland

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

As a part of the innovative pre RDAQ 2012 Educational Program there will be numerous workshops running. The Rural Doctors Association of Queensland will be running a STAR/RFDS Aviation Workshop on Thursday 7th June and a Musculoskeletal Workshop on Friday 8th June. Information on these two workshops can be found on the conference website.

Health Workforce Queensland also will be running a series of preconference workshops on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th June 2012.

For more information on these workshops please visit the Medical Education & Training section at www.healthworkforce.com.au. You can also register your interest in these workshops on the RDAQ 2012 registration form.

SOCIAL PROGRAM

The Gold Coast is one of the most iconic sights in Australia and in 2012 will host the RDAQ social program featuring four exciting social events. The program will give delegates the opportunity to take a break from the academic side of the event and enjoy the company of old friends and make new contacts.

RDAQ 2012 will also provide a Queensland Rural Medical Family Network (QRMFN) Family Program. All social information can be found on the conference website.

CONTACT DETAILS

Shell Brennan RDAQ 2012 Conference Manager Health Workforce Queensland GPO Box 2523, Brisbane, Qld 4001 Phone: 07 3105 7800 Fax: 07 3105 7801 Email: sbrennan@healthworkforce.com.au Web: conference.rdaq.com.au For more information on RDAQ 2012 please go to: conference.rdaq.com.au See you at the Gold Coast!

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8 - 10th June 2012 Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast

Last opportunity to attend the RDAQ 2012 Conference...book now!

RDAQ 2012 is only a few weeks away. This year’s conference focuses on the achievements of individuals who have achieved excellence in their field in rural medicine. We have the pleasure to announce Dr Mark Loane as this year’s keynote speaker! Below are just some of the highlights you can expect at RDAQ 2012.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER – DR MARK LOANE Dr Loane is an Ophthalmologist and a former Australian Wallaby captain who is passionate about providing Ophthalmic services to rural, remote and especially Indigenous people. In 1999 he established the Cape York Eye Health Project which provides high grade eye services to 12 communities on Cape York Peninsula.

He is currently on the board of Guide Dogs Queensland and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his work with remote, rural and Indigenous people.

MENTAL HEALTH IN GENERAL PRACTICE Presenter: Alison FAirleigh Alison is passionate about rural mental health. In 2011 she initiated a successful social media campaign to raise awareness of this issue in Australia. She is a member of the Alliance for Better Access, which campaigns for full restoration of services to the Better Access to Mental Health Services Initiative.

About the session: Each year around three quarters of Australians seek help from a GP for a mental illness. In this session the challenges facing mental health consumers in rural and remote areas will be discussed, including the pivotal role played by GPs in rural mental health.

The Better Access to Mental Health Services Initiative was cut by 44% in late 2011 and soon after was partially and temporarily restored due to significant pressure from members of the Alliance.

This presentation will discuss the history of the Campaign for Better Access, achievements and where they hope to be by the end of 2012.

MEDIA AND ADVOCACY – LOCAL ISSUES : LOCAL ACTION About the session: In the face of funding and structural reforms, the name of the game to effect change in health service provision will be local and regional. This workshop will include panellists from medical, local government and media backgrounds and will have a ‘how to´ focus for delegates who are keen to be a part of the solution for their communities. The session will have a practical focus and provide real life examples of communities that have stood together to effect change. Delegates will leave with a media and advocacy tool kit that they can use as community leaders.

CHANGING CONTEXTS – STATE AND FEDERAL REFORMS About the session: In light of the shifting sands for the planning and provision of health services across Queensland, RDAQ are offering this concurrent session to bring together perspectives on the establishment of Local Health Hospital Networks, Medicare Locals and funding reform. Participants will enjoy snapshots of ‘real’ community experiences and contribute to key strategic issues to be followed up across the conference weekend and beyond.

MEN’S HEALTH Presenter: Dr toby ForD Dr Ford is the Founder and Medical Director of Ford Health and is a leading expert in the area of corporate health risk management.

He is a nationally acknowledged speaker and medical practitioner on health, lifestyle, stress and motivation.

About the session: Men generally see a doctor with a limb or digit hanging off, in other words they are less likely than women to go for routine screening and checkups. When we get men into our consulting rooms we need to approach things a little differently. How can we engage men in these routine investigations? Toby has worked on this exact issue and will give delegates some insights as to how we can do things better for our “studs” and “superheroes”!

To access the full conference program or to register online please go to conference.rdaq.com.au DoctorQ MAY 2012

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AROUND THE REGIONS

Stay connected with colleagues and up to date with the latest health news and issues affecting your local area. Don’t stand on the sidelines - join your Local Medical Association today and make a difference.

Sunshine Coast

bundaberg

Monthly dinner meetings are generally held on the fourth Thursday of each month.

For information on meeting dates and how to join, contact Bundaberg LMA President Daud Yunus.

Venue: Maroochydore Surf Club Function Room, Alexandra Parade, Cotton Tree Time: 6.30pm for 7pm

Phone: (07) 4152 2888 Fax: (07) 4153 3245 Email: daud.yunus@gmail.com

Convenor: Jo Bourke Phone: (07) 5479 3979 Fax: (07) 5479 3995 Email: jobo@squirrel.com.au

Fraser Coast

For further information or to join visit www.sclma.com.au

Redcliffe & District For information on upcoming meetings please contact Margaret MacPherson, Meeting Convenor on (07) 3409 4429.

Remaining meeting dates for 2012 30 May 19 June 29 August (AGM) 18 September

24 July 24 October

Venue: Golden Ox Restaurant, Redcliffe Time: 7pm for 7.30pm

For information on meeting dates and how to join, contact Fraser Coast Local Medical Association President Dr Shaun Rudd.

Address: PO Box 1347, Hervey Bay, Qld, 4655 Phone: (07) 4128 3644 Fax: (07) 4124 0660

Toowoomba Members and non members can keep an eye out on the website for details on upcoming events and meetings or contact the Association on info@tddlma.org.au.

Membership of the Toowoomba and Darling Downs Local Medical Association is just $50. To join go to tddlma.org.au/ membership.html and download an application form.

Brisbane Northside Local Medical Association For upcoming meeting information or to join, please contact: Michael Madden, Meeting Convenor on (07) 3121 4032 or email: michael.madden@qml.com.au

Gold Coast

Website: http://northsidelocalmedical.wordpress.com

You will find all the latest news and information on the Gold Coast Medical Association (GCMA) at www.gcma.org.au.

To join, simply visit the website and download an application.

You can contact the GCMA on:

2012 meeting dates 12 June 14 August 11 December

Phone: (07) 5575 7054 Fax: (07) 5575 7551 Email: info@gcma.org.au

9 October

If your Local Medical Association does not appear above or your details are incorrect, please email Kathleen Latchford at k.latchford@amaq.com.au with corrections, contact details, how to join, web address, dates for upcoming meetings and who to contact for further information.

34

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

AROUND THE REGIONS

After seven years of drought, the south-west community of St George found itself awash for the third time in as many years in February. Rural Doctors Association of Queensland President-Elect Dr Adam Coltzau reflects.

T

he sun was out and it was hot, just perfect for growing cotton on the flood plain. Instead, I was sitting with a small group of people in St George waiting for the Balonne River to peak in what we had been told would be a record for our town.

A mandatory evacuation had been declared two days earlier. My family was among those to leave. Officially, only a few of us were left as an emergency response and it was my job to provide critical emergency care to the police, fire brigade and council workers who worked tirelessly, putting up levee banks in a last-minute attempt to stop the muddy waters from inundating our town. In reality, there were many more— ordinary townsfolk hiding from the police, wanting to stay and protect their homes: people who last year thought the flood that had ruined their homes and livelihood would be the last for another hundred years and who went ahead, rebuilding, repairing, restarting, only to face the same heartache now. Anyone who can face that, and put the shoulder to the wheel just one more time, is made of something special.

It warms my heart and fills me with pride to be part of such a great community and to be respected and appreciated for what I can do.

A small group of cotton farmers had banded together to raise a levee bank two feet. That might not seem like much but it was also several kilometres long: quite a feat. They worked all day and into the night, filling and

placing sandbags. Their fight reminded me of stories of Australians at war, a kind of tenacity that inspires a man not to give up, despite great adversity.

I went down to see if I could in some way help. Many community members were sandbagging a house belonging to a family I know. After the last flood, the house was completely renovated. Soon after arriving, the phone rang (as it always does: trying to do anything else while on-call is impossible). I felt a bit sad having to cut short my help but on arrival at the hospital, the words of my elderly patient’s daughter reminded me that I was helping: “Thank you Doctor, thank you so much, we are so lucky in this town”. It warms my heart and fills me with pride to be part of such a great community and to be respected and appreciated for what I can do.

Rural doctors fill a vital role in communities that a string of locums or telehealth cannot replace. We not only provide our communities with skills and knowledge, but with leadership and a sense of safety and security. The importance of that sense of security cannot be underestimated. Just as people are prepared to labour under the knowledge that the levee will hold back the water, they also know that if they are hurt, the Doc will take care of them.

That is why I became a rural doctor, that is why I try to teach medical students that there is more to medicine outside of tertiary hospitals and that is why I am a member of the RDAQ, to not only advocate for my rural colleagues but for the rural communities they serve. Q

DoctorQ MAY 2012

35

BUSINESS TOOLS

Doctors working the public hospital system can be in for a rude shock if they rely on employer indemnification as their sole medical defence protection, Scott Stewart from AMA Queensland Insurance Solutions explains.

Scott Stewart AMA Queensland Insurance Solutions 1300 883 059 scott.stewart@amaqis.com.au

A

s every medical professional knows, Medical Indemnity insurance is something that no health care practitioner can be without. When unexpected situations arise or reputations or careers are under threat, the security of knowing that all of your exposures are covered is paramount in the litigious environment in which doctors work.

Legal costs can be significant; upward of $100,000 for some inquiries and running to more than $250,000 for major investigations. Without cover through a good Medical Defence Organisation (MDO), such expenses come out of your back pocket.

For doctors working in the public system, indemnity is usually provided by the relevant state health department (this is referred to as being employerindemnified). However, this cover is usually limited in its scope and may only cover negligence claims that arise from providing health care to public patients.

Matters such as Medical Board inquiries or coronial inquests may not be covered by the employer.

The simple answer is to hold your own Medical Defence policy to work in tandem with what the state provides.

Since 1 July 2012, Australia’s national registration and accreditation scheme has clearly defined that doctors require professional indemnity for all aspects of medical practice. That means even hospital employed doctors require cover for any form of medical practice provided outside their regular employment. Inadequate professional indemnity cover could place you at risk of breaching your national medical registration.

Some examples of eventualities and activities which may not be covered under a state employer’s indemnity policy include:

defence of medical staff in disciplinary proceedings for stopping at a roadside accident, and other good Samaritan acts not listed in your contract

clinical trials not covered under legislation

work for any outside agency on a contractual basis

work for voluntary or charitable bodies

work overseas

coronial investigations

Medical Board inquiries

Royal commissions

disciplinary proceedings

Professional Services Review Committee investigations

hospital inquiries

writing scripts for non-hospital patients

volunteering medical care.

Avoiding hip pocket pain

A good MDO should offer at least the following services: individual advice, support and representation in case of a claim, complaint or legal matter

medico-legal advisory service offering expert advice and assistance, catering for emergencies 24-hours a day, year-round

regular member publications, including specialtyspecific bulletins

online member services and resources

risk management education, advisory services and tools and resources.

AMA Queensland Insurance Solutions has access to some of the best MDOs on the market. We can provide quotes on all your medical defence requirements and obtain premium savings by obtaining group rates for larger practices. We are also happy to simply provide a comparison quote against your existing cover. Q

AMA Queensland Insurance Solutions is a joint initiative of AMA Queensland and Insurance Advisernet Australia Pty Limited ABN 81 072 343 643 AFS Licence 240549. AMA Queensland Insurance Solutions is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Insurance Advisernet Australia Pty Limited, Authorised Representative No: 320115. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before purchasing any insurance product.

36

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

DoctorQ MAY 2012

37

BUSINESS TOOLS

Shopping around for financing when setting up a medical practice really can pay off.

1300 131 141 www.investec.com.au/ medicalfinance

M

edical professionals are often surprised to find that, when it comes to arranging finance for either a personal or business loan, the big banks tend to treat them like everyone else. Despite strong business fundamentals, banks are still not prepared to invest in medical businesses without insisting on substantial security—usually the family home. And if there is insufficient equity in the property, allowing the bank to use the home as security may still not be enough to secure the necessary finance.

“Medical professionals are a unique group,” says Investec Specialist Bank’s Andre Karney. “That allows us to treat them very differently to the general banking market. The amount of flexibility we have, and the kind of things we can do, is outstanding.”

A loan in return for the bank taking security over your property is not a business loan - it’s a mortgage.

Although other financial institutions lend to the profession, it isn’t easy for them to be flexible just to suit those individuals. “But we’re looking at the individual and structuring something around them that makes sense for their circumstances,” says Karney.

“Underlying the whole model is our specialisation in lending only to this market. We’ve been able to design a product suite and a credit process that recognises their qualification as an asset.”

Investec Specialist Bank has been in the business of banking on medical professionals for nearly four decades. In 1974 three young entrepreneurs set up a small financing business for medical and dental professionals in Johannesburg. Investec Group has grown to be an international banking and asset management business dually listed on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges, with offices in 14 countries. Its Australian presence started in Sydney in 1997. Investec now has offices also in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Andre Karney

Stafford Hamilton

Investec’s Stafford Hamilton says going to a specialist makes sense when exploring ways to finance your medical practice: “A loan in return for the bank taking security over your property is not a business loan—it’s a mortgage. That’s not what our clients want. They need a bank that understands their business and will invest alongside them. We back the individual and their practice, and generally do not need to take the property as security. This alone gives the client a lot more freedom.”

Allowing a bank to stake a claim on the family home not only mixes up personal and business finances but can have numerous flow-on implications.

“It is very common for borrowers to underestimate what they have to pay back to the bank when they come to sell their home because the bank will claim back any money that was used to purchase business assets,” says Hamilton. “If the bank takes the money from the equity, you lose all of the tax advantages usually associated with that loan—and that can be disastrous.”

Hamilton says through collaboration and advice, Investec can invariably come up with a well thought through solution that encourages sustainable business growth.

“The important thing with medical clients is it’s not just about the interest rate you can offer them,” Andre Karney adds. “It’s about how you treat them.” Q

Investec Professional Finance Pty Ltd ABN 94 110 704 464 is a subsidiary of Investec Bank (Australia) Limited ABN 55 071 292 594 (Investec Bank). This editorial includes information of a general nature only in relation to the potential commercial benefits of asset financing. Taxation is only one of the matters that taxpayers should consider in making business decisions. This editorial does not constitute taxation advice and cannot be relied upon as such. The individual circumstances of each taxpayer may affect the specific tax implications of asset financing to that taxpayer. We recommend that independent professional tax advice is sought to confirm the specific tax implications of asset financing based on the particular circumstances of each taxpayer. Investec Professional Finance is not offering financial or tax advice. All finance is subject to our credit assessment criteria. Terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. Information is current as at February 2010.

38

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

BUSINESS TOOLS 2012 conference | 27 - 28 july | indooroopilly golf club

starting and working in

private practice SUITABLE FOR GPS, SPEcIALISTS And PRAcTIcE MAnAGERS

business models & structure

independent contracting options

risk

& communications

insurance

privacy

confidentiality and record management

accreditation

work cover

management

managing referrals

technology

workplace health & safety

issues affecting

general practice

practice review

27 - 28 July 2012, Friday & Saturday Indooroopilly Golf Club, Brisbane

early bird special

(closes by 22 June 2012) Bring a non-member at member rates or receive early bird discount as per brochure

22

continuing professional development points *Subject to approval

Very informative conference, NOT only for starting up in Private Practice but also for existing Practices. Highly Recommended.

Trish Cuthbert - Practice Manager, Granite Belt Medical Services

p r o u d ly s p o n s o r e d b y:

For more information contact the Workplace Relations team on (07) 3872 2216 or email j.ovnic@amaq.com.au request a brochure for the full program: nAME: PRAcTIcE: EMAIL: PHOnE:

Fax back to: (07) 3872 2280 DoctorQ MAY 2012 39 Or email to: j.ovnic@amaq.com.au

BUSINESS TOOLS

Newly enacted workplace health and safety laws may apply to doctors conducting their own businesses. TressCox Lawyers’ Leo Hopsick explains.

Leo Hopsick Partner TressCox Lawyers, Brisbane (07) 3004 3535 leo_hopsick@tresscox.com.au

T

he Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) (WH&S Act) commenced on 1 January 2012 and imposes a primary duty of care on a person conducting a business or undertaking (referred to as a PCBU) to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers while at work in the business or undertaking, and others, are not put at risk from the work carried out.

A doctor conducting a medical centre business is likely to fall within the definition of a PCBU and must comply with the primary duty of care. Essentially, that means, as far as is reasonably practicable: providing a work environment without risks to health and safety

ensuring safe use of substances

providing adequate facilities for the welfare of workers

offering training about health and safety risks.

Under the new WH&S laws, a doctor who is a director of a company that operates a medical centre is an ‘officer’ and must exercise due diligence to ensure that the company conducting the business complies with its WH&S duties. To fulfil the ‘due diligence’ obligation, the director/doctor is required to understand the hazards and risks of the business operations from a WH&S perspective.

A doctor conducting a medical centre business is likely to fall within the definition of a PCBU and must comply with the primary duty of care.

New definition of “worker”

Under the new laws, the definition of a worker broadens and covers most types of work engagement.

The primary duty of care now extends to the health and safety of all workers including contractors and outsourcing arrangements.

Steps for compliance and risk management

In view of the new WH&S laws, doctors should: review existing health and safety policies and procedures in light of the new laws

determine who in the business organisation will be classified as a PCBU or an ‘officer’

establish systems for compliance with the new laws.

Q

Leo Hopsick is a Corporate Partner at the TressCox Brisbane office and has extensive experience acting for doctors and owners of healthcare facilities on business and commerical matters. Leo’s experience includes business structuring, buying and selling businesses, financiang and the construction of healthcare facilities.

40

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

BUSINESS TOOLS

Leave the hardwork to TressCox, giving you more time for the pleasures in life ...

TressCox has over 100 years experience representing Medical Practitioners in various areas of Health Law. Our Health Services Group is one of the largest and most experienced in Australia. We are well connected to the health industry, its peak bodies and key professionals, so we offer a deep understanding of the issues.

When professional, ethical and commercial issues compete, our legal advice is sensitive to every nuance and reality for one particular reason: our health team has specialist expertise gained through long term relationships with the industry.

We connect. That’s what makes the difference.

Katharine Philp Phone 07 3004 3536 Mobile 0409 586 785 Katharine_Philp@tresscox.com.au

Leo Hopsick Phone 07 3004 3535 Mobile 0409 625 538 Leo_Hopsick@tresscox.com.au

Alex Moriarty Phone 07 3004 3533 Mobile 0459 400 500 Alex_Moriarty@tresscox.com.au

Stephen Tonge Phone 07 3004 3502 Mobile 0408 987 669 Stephen_Tonge@tresscox.com.au

www.tresscox.com.au

t w i t t e r.c o m /Tr e ssC o x linkedin.com/company/tresscox-lawyer s DoctorQ MAY 2012

41

BUSINESS TOOLS

The key to successful tax planning doesn’t rest with hurried decisions made in the last week of June. You need time to strategise, says William Buck’s Julie Smith.

Julie Smith William Buck (07) 3229 5100 julie.smith@williambuckqld.com.au

A

s the year marches on towards 30 June, you may be starting to wonder “Am I paying too much tax and is there anything I can do about it?” Whilst the answers to these questions will vary depending on your circumstances, it is always beneficial to revisit the issues each year to ensure that you are maximising your financial position.

Interest deductions

The process of tax planning essentially involves a review of your overall taxation affairs including investment structures, income and deductions to ensure you are taking advantage of any possible tax savings. This process is most beneficial if it is done throughout the year, but there may still be some advantages in examining your available deductions at the end of the financial year.

Property investments – capital allowances

Whether you are an employee or in business, consider:

Superannuation

This continues to be a tax effective way to provide for your retirement as tax on contributions is limited to 15% in superannuation funds. Rules governing the availability of deductions vary, depending on whether or not you are employed, but generally if you are under 50, you can contribute up to $25,000 per year and obtain some tax benefit. For example, if you are selfemployed on an annual income level of $250,000, a $25,000 contribution into superannuation will save you approximately $8,000 in tax, (the difference between a 46.5% personal marginal tax rate, and the 15% super fund tax rate).

For those of you with investment-related debt, it is worthwhile to review your level of interest deductions at the end of the year. In some circumstances it may be possible to prepay interest to obtain additional tax deductions this year.

The most popular form of tax deduction is that which is generated by tax law, as opposed to one created by parting with your hard-earned money. Accelerated depreciation on income-producing buildings is one such deduction. If you own either a commercial or a residential property, obtain a quantity surveyor report to determine the amount of additional depreciation that may be claimable in relation to the buildings. That’s a low-cost avenue to obtain taxation concessions.

Other opportunities

Your personal or business situation my make other opportunities available—such as prepaying business expenses and making compulsory staff superannuation contributions prior to year end—but these are individual circumstances from which you should seek guidance from your tax agent or business advisor. Q

Salary sacrifice arrangements

If you are an employee, salary sacrifice arrangements for either superannuation or other benefits are always worthwhile considering as, in some cases, the tax savings can be significant. As sacrifice arrangements are only valid for prospective wages, it is critical to review this option now to ensure that you obtain any potential benefit before 30 June.

Correction: Doctor Q’s March edition carried a flow-chart on personal services income. The second arrow in the bottom line should have pointed to the left, not the right, recommending the taxpayer apply to the ATO for a determination.

The information contained in this summary is general in nature and should not be applied or relied upon without seeking additional professional advice. William Buck has a dedicated team of superannuation and taxation experts who are happy to speak with you regarding your self managed superannuation fund or any other issues regarding superannuation you may have.

42

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

You can count on us.

William Buck is a firm of Chartered Accountants and advisors with a proud reputation for providing tailored services to the medical industry throughout Australia and New Zealand.

With offices servicing every State and New Zealand, we are able to assist clients not only operating in the major cities but also in more remote locations that otherwise may struggle to find competent and experienced advisors.

All firms have dedicated medical advisory specialists operating within all of our Business Advisory Divisions. In years gone by, we have assisted many doctors as they commence their careers and have developed tailored solutions to meet the range of needs and solve common problems that these clients have.

williambuck.com

DoctorQ MAY 2012

43

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS & ADVISORS

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Cover is provided subject to the terms of the policy. Insurance policies available through MIGA are underwritten by Medical Insurance Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 255906).

Membership services are provided by the Medical Defence Association of South Australia Ltd. Before you make any decisions about our Policy, please read our Product Cover is provided subject to the terms of the policy. Insurance policies available through MIGA are underwritten by Medical Insurance Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 255906).

Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording and consider if our policy is appropriate for you. Call MIGA for a copy or visit our website. © MIGA April 2011 MIG0006 Membership services of South Australia Ltd.areBefore you make decisions aboutAustralia our Policy, read255906). our Product Cover is provided subjectaretoprovided the termsbyofthe theMedical policy. Defence InsuranceAssociation policies available through MIGA underwritten by any Medical Insurance Pty please Ltd (AFSL Disclosure services Statement PolicybyWording and Defence considerAssociation if our policyof isSouth appropriate you.Before Call MIGA for aany copy or visitabout our website. © please MIGA April 2011 MIG0006 Membership are and provided the Medical Australiafor Ltd. you make decisions our Policy, read our Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording and consider if our policy is appropriate for you. Call MIGA for a copy or visit our website. © MIGA April 2011 MIG0006

44

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

MEMBER NEWS

New Publication for members – The Business of Private Practice & Medicine AMA Queensland has launched a new e-newsletter The Business of Private Practice & Medicine. Distributed to our members in Private Practice, this new publication contains the latest news, information and resources specifically tailored to Private Practitioners including what’s new in private practice, business planning, marketing, social media trends, current issues, new technology and member profiles.

The first edition was sent in March. Look out for another in May.

Have you paid your 2012 AMA Queensland membership fees? URGENT Members who have not yet paid your 2012 membership fees are encouraged to do so as soon as possible in order to avoid the $55.00 administration fee applied at the end of April 2012.

Access to AMA member services officially ceased on 01 April 2012 for all unfinancial members so you can no longer access services from the workplace relations experts should you run into any trouble in the workplace.

2012 membership fees were due on 1 January 2012!

You can pay your 2012 membership fees by: Contacting the membership team on phone (07) 3872 2222

Bond Electives Evening 14 March 2012 AMA Queensland WINNER Congratulations to Ms Hnin-Ei-phyu Wynn AMA Queensland student member and 4th year medical student at Bond University who won the AMA Queensland prize drawn at the recent Bond Electives evening. Enjoy!

Congratulations to the following doctors who are now elected members of AMA Queensland.

February

March

doctors in training

Junior Doctors

Dr Alan Richardson

Dr Claire Wohlfahrt

Dr Joseph England

Dr Hayley Frieslich

Dr Michael Phegan

Dr Heather McNeil

Dr Khin Lwin

Dr Hwee Chong

Dr Phong Nguyen

Dr Katrina Franke

Dr Kedar Joshi

Dr Kevin Tan

Dr Mitra Samazis

Dr Luciana Kelly

General Practitioners Dr Mohamad Mahmoud Dr Richard A Juhasz Dr Arash Khezer Dr Paul T Cleary

Specialist Practitioners Dr Michaela Lee

part-time Practitioners Dr Barbara Cloete

salaried practitioners

Dr Nandana Erathnage Dr Nicola Sleeman Dr Omar Rodriguez Dr Richard Gartrell

General Practitioners Dr Angela R Bowman Dr Mark Goss Dr Covan Ho Dr Devika Jayawardena Dr Aman Rana Dr Suntharalingam Sutharsan

Specialist Practitioners Dr Graham Beacom

Dr Robert Cardwell

Dr Daniel Burger

Dr Julie Sherwin

Dr Brett G Collins Dr Ranit De Dr Andrew Nielsen Dr Andrew Small Dr Michelle Lien Dr Sarvesh Natanil

Part-time Practitioners Dr Karen Ho Dr Ferdous Huq Dr Lisa Kane Dr Andrea McGlade Dr Archana Khunteta

Salaried Practitioners Dr Jonathan Field Dr Maria M Jukes Dr Sudhir Kumar

DoctorQ MAY 2012

45

People & EVENTS

The Business of Private Practice and Medicine: The business skills workshop 8.30am-2.30pm

19 may

Brisbane These intense intimate workshops are hands-on professional development training days and will include role play, scenario-setting and skills-based workshops limited to only 20 participants.

Register: www.amaq.com.au/events or Bec Byrnes on (07) 3872 2269 or r.byrnes@amaq.com.au

AMA Queensland Annual General Meeting

22 may

6.30pm

88 L’Estrange Tce, Kelvin Grove Register: www.amaq.com.au/events or Kelly Jansen on 3872 2254 or k.jansen@amaq.com.au

Investing in shares

30 may

6.00 - 8.30pm

88 L’Estrange Terrace, Brisbane Update your knowledge on the share market, structures and models to minimise your tax and options and advantages to building wealth through investing in the market.

Register: www.amaq.com.au/events or Rebecca Byrnes on 07 3872 2269 or r.byrnes@amaq.com.au

Women in Medicine breakfast - Looking after you!

7.00 - 9.30am

6 june

Moda Events, Portside

Bettina Arndt, Australia’s first sex therapist, columnist, feature writer, clinical psychologist, social commentator, editor of Forum and best-selling author of The Sex Diaries and What Men Want promises a start to the day that’s educational and entertaining!

Register: www.amaq.com.au/events or Bec Byrnes on 3872 2269 or r.byrnes@amaq.com.au

Presidential Inauguration

15 june

Tattersalls Club, Brisbane

A black tie event of tradition and celebration celebrating the achievements of the current President of AMA Queensland, Dr Richard Kidd as he officially passes on responsibility to President Elect, Dr Alex Markwell.

Register: www.amaq.com.au/events or Kelly Jansen on 3872 2254 or k.jansen@amaq.com.au

Date savers

Men In Medicine Breakfast

Men in Medicine: Looking after you breakfast

starting and working in

private practice SUITABLE FOR GPS, SPEcIALISTS And PRAcTIcE MAnAGERS

18 june

business models & structure

independent contracting options

technology

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

risk

workplace health & safety

insurance

privacy

confidentiality and record management

accreditation

work cover

management

managing referrals

& communications

46

Starting and Working in Private Practice (CPD)

2012 conference | 27 - 28 july | indooroopilly golf club

issues affecting

general practice

practice review

27 - 28 July 2012, Friday & Saturday Indooroopilly Golf Club, Brisbane

early bird special

(closes by 22 June 2012) Bring a non-member at member rates or receive early bird discount as per brochure p r o u d ly s p o n s o r e d b y:

22

continuing professional development points *Subject to approval

Very informative conference, NOT only for starting up in Private Practice but also for existing Practices. Highly Recommended.

Trish Cuthbert - Practice Manager, Granite Belt Medical Services

27 - 28 july

People & EVENTS

Sell yourself and your skills AMA Queensland co-hosted a resume writing and interview skills workshop with held a successful resume writing and interview skills workshop in Townsville in March for junior doctors.

ane & Carl O’K g Eli Cowlin

Wei Tan, K irby Wighton & Luke Eggle ston

rrakaulle Anuke Wa Mark Liu, t Provan & Margare

A couple choosing to try IVF is a big decision.

Choosing the IVF clinic for them is just as important.

Monash IVF is a specialist fertility clinic that prides itself on the latest technology, coupled with a personalised caring approach. Our highly trained specialists offer a wide array of assisted reproductive technologies so your patients have the best possible options at hand. So when your patients turn to you, turn to Monash IVF.

JAM MON/0116

monashivf.com | Phone 1800 628 533 | Southport | Ballina | Hope Island

DoctorQ MAY 2012

47

People & EVENTS

Wednesday 6 June 2012 7.00am – 9.30am Moda Events Portside 39 Hercules Street Hamilton, Brisbane (onsite parking available)

Registrations close 25 May 2012

g after icine: Lookin omen in Med W al ttina Be nu t. an e nd at th ttina Ar age this year x therapists, Be radio. se d st an fir ’s Gracing the st on lia si g on televi e of Austra in on lk is ta t d as an kf x ea ri se you Br h her w ting g about entator throug y career writin m rl m ea co r al he ci t so en sp the author of leading to become a ees. She is also itt m m co test book, ry She went on ries and her la ment adviso ia rn D x ve Se go e on Th k and wor l best-seller, on the day). e internationa ailable for sale av e ar two books, th h ot (b t – in bed! lightful What Men Wan ises to be a de om pr t ha w r sionals fo d laughter. edical profes networking an y, Join other m ap er th l na ucatio morning of ed

Proudly sponsored by:

Bettina Arndt

ou y r e t f a Looking

Sex therapist

SUPPORTED by:

Men In Medicine Breakfast Looking after you: the importance of men's health

Join AMA Queensland for an inspiring morning communicating the importance of men’s health and engaging with other medical professionals.

Date:

Whilst better known for his Rugby exploits, Phil has an Arts Degree majoring in Economics and Economic History from the University of NSW. On finishing his professional rugby career, Phil became MD of an IT Consulting firm, then while at Investec worked on deals in the property, aircraft, infrastructure and hospitality areas.

Outside interests include Phil’s directorship of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, he started the Balmoral Burn for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation which has raised upward of $12million for Children’s Hospitals, and he is a commentator with FoxSports on all things rugby.

Venue: Moda Events Portside

Supporting men in the industry:

48

with keynote speaker phil kearns

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Times: 7am for 7.15am start

Expected end time 9.30am

39 Hercules Street, Hamilton (onsite parking available)

Cost*: • $70 per person

*Including GST

Dress:

• $65 per person for AMA Doctors-in Training & AMA medical students • $650 per table of ten Business / smart casual

People & EVENTS PEOPLe

Laughs, knowing nods and a sense of unity filled the sell-out Women in Medicine lunch, Motherhood & Medicine. Our audience was enthralled by the candid, relatable and knowledgeable experiences of Dr Eleanor Chew, Dr Kirsten Price, and superstar keynote speaker Dr Sally Cockburn (aka Dr Feelgood) and appreciated practical work advice from AMA Queensland’s Andrew Turner and survival tips from Dr Gino Pecoraro. It was a day of sharing the hilarity, heartache and humanity involved with the juggling act of parenthood and a career in medicine and the common thread summated by Oprah Winfrey’s quote, “You can have it all, just not at all at once”.

Australia’s foremost sex therapist Bettina Arndt headlines the inaugural Women in Medicine breakfast on Wednesday 6 June at Moda

Events, Portside. Avoid disappointment: book now! Download your registration at www.amaq.com.au/events or contact Bec Byrnes 07 3872 2269 (email: r.byrnes@amaq.com.au).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP CENTRE • Julie Davis, Deana Scott, Catherine and Ned Stoyanov • Kenote speaker Dr Sally Cockburn made the audience feel good • Sponsors Cassandra Heilbronn and Jennifer O’Grady (TressCox Lawyers), Dr Richard Kidd, Dr Sally Cockburn, Dr Alex Markwell and sponsor Angela Lindner (William Buck) • Rachelle Victor, Louise Seymour, Michelle Spanevello • Alison Ryan

resscox

(T a Heilbronn Cassandr lunt & Dinah B Lawyers)

Jennife

r O’Gra d

y (Tress cox La Kim Ha wyers), nson & baby S age DoctorQ MAY 2012

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LIFE

The difference between institutional and retail investors’ attitudes to equities has become quite pronounced over the past year.

Ross Noye Wilson HTM (07) 3212 1068 0438 77 99 55 ross.noye@wilsonhtm.com.au

Ross Noye is an executive shareholder and senior financial and investment adviser at Wilson HTM Investment Group and a licensed representative of Wilson HTM Ltd. Readers should seek their own advice.

T

he ABS Financial Accounts show a growing gap between institutions and retail investors on investment outlook. While retail investors continue to hoard cash and remain net sellers of shares, the ABS reports show institutional investors (foreigners and large super funds) supported capital raisings and took advantage of price opportunities presented by the high market volatility in the six months to end December 2011. With the market up 7.1 per cent since December, the decision to invest seems to have been vindicated.

Generally, the initial strong rebound is followed by a consolidation phase when businesses cut costs, reduce debt and seek to improve productivity by investing in technology. This consolidation phase is typically associated with period of profit downgrades and high market volatility. This downgrade cycle is of longer duration following a credit crunch or debt-driven downturn because of the impact on business and household balance sheets and the time it takes to pay down debt.

Super funds and foreign investors invested an additional $46 billion into the Australian market in the second half of 2011 which has been offset by continued outflows from households and managed funds which rely on retail investors.

As the downgrades abate, the dramatic ‘risk on’, ‘risk off’ induced volatility reduces and investor confidence builds.

Their exposure to cash and deposits remain near a 15 year high, while their exposure to shares is at the lowest since the ABS Financial Accounts commenced.

Notwithstanding the dramatic doom and gloom headlines, the economic data continues to point to an improving global outlook and the experienced investors are taking note.

Retail investors remained cautious, generally choosing bank deposits over shares and adding around $20 billion per quarter to their cash holdings while there were outflows from equity markets over the same period.

Over the past 15 years, equity markets have only contued their recovery after the worst of the earnings downgrades have been seen. With a dramatic slowing of downgrades in Australia in recent months, the firewalls being built around the European banks, net profit upgrades in the US and Chinese economic growth running at 3 per cent and 8.5 per cent respectively, institutional investors seem convinced a re-rating of the Australian market is imminent.

Historically, retail investors buy shares when the market is rising and sell when the market is falling leading us to believe that consistent solid gains are required before the mountains of cash start moving into the share market.

Lower interest rates generally lead to a lower Australian dollar which will make our sharemarket less expensive for foreign investors; and more attractive if May sees an interest cut. This may be the catalyst for the next stage inthe market recovery.

Events of the past few years may continue to affect retail investors for some time and though they continue to get exposure through super, strong buying of shares outside of super may take a market re-rating and evidence of sustained price increases for their fear to subside. More seasoned investors will take a more evidence-based approach to investing.

It is time to review portfolios and investment strategies for the year ahead. Q

Source: ABS, IBES, WHTM portfolio analysis

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MAY 2012 DoctorQ

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LIFE

Back in the 1960s, Australian TV viewers loved the comic antics of novice nun Sister Bertrille played by Sally Field but AMA Travel’s Ros Bulat says Chile offers so many more reasons to be explored and adored.

C

hile has been marketed as the soft introduction to Latin America and Qantas this year has made it so much easier to get to with direct flights between Australia and its capital, Santiago.

First impressions of Santiago are of a city with wonderful infrastructure: one of the world’s best subway systems, innovative city freeways allowing traffic to bypass the CBD and downtown areas, and a wide selection of international and local hotels plus dining options to more than satisfy the most demanding of travellers.

It also boasts a reputation for being the safest city in Latin America (even at night) but don’t think this place is staid. We’re talking Chile: home of music, delicious food, great wine and of course, fantastic Latin dancing - samba, salsa, tango. The nightlife of salsa bars, restaurants and nightclubs don’t just bustle; they pump.

Imagine waking for breakfast in your stylish city hotel and 50 minutes after enjoying your eggs Benedict, skiing in some of the most pristine powder snow more than 3,000 metres above Santiago!

Then indulge in a lazy lunch back in the city before taking up the option of visiting a world-class wellness centre for some après ski ‘body and soul rejuvenation’ or strolling through international styled shopping malls which complement the many artisans’ markets competing for your dollars.

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MAY 2012 DoctorQ

For such a thin tendril of land hugging the South American west coast, Chile offers unbelievable extremes from the history and culture of the Atacama Desert (where you can rest in boutique-style hotels) to 5-star hotels in the lakes district complementing world-class ski fields or the international casinos of Puerto Varas and Pucon. And then there’s the southern-most part, Patagonia, gateway to Antarctica and offering imaginative cruise options to Cape Horn through the Beagle Channel from Punta Arenas.

How to get there?

Qantas flies direct to Chile from Sydney.

Qantas also codeshares with Chile’s national carrier, LAN Airlines.

LAN offers very convenient connections throughout South America. Q Please contact Stephanie or Ros at AMA Travel Queensland for more information on this and other wonderful travel experiences.

PHONE: 1800 262 885 FAX: (07) 5556 7200 EMAIL: travel@amaq.com.au WEB: www.amaq.worldtravel.com.au

LIFE

Matt Wallace from Wine Direct likes to drink and he likes to write, not necessarily in that order! Here he shares a tempting afternoon’s delight in the Adelaide Hills.

A Matt Wallace Wine Direct 1800 649 463 matt.wallace@winedirect.com.au

Below: Ambience aplenty at The Lane Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills.

Far right, the personalities behind The Lane Vineyard (from left): Marty Edwards, John Edwards, Helen Edwards and Ben Tolstoshev.

recent Friday afternoon afforded me the opportunity to catch up with Ben Tolstoshev from The Lane Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Ben is an articulate raconteur and fierce advocate for Adelaide Hills wines who joined the family business to manage national sales and brand development.

The proud father of twin boys, he hopes they will one day join the family business.

Together we tasted a number of Lane wines accompanied by the brilliant food at their cellar door/ restaurant. The combination of Beef Tartare and The Lane Block 14 Shiraz moved me to a moment’s silent contemplation; and I like to talk - a lot!

This Block 14 is unashamedly medium bodied, a frightening concept for those of us raised on the more extreme versions of Barossan bacchanalia.

I love Barossa wines, even the blockbusters, but I am convinced that wines offering equivalent fruit intensity in a more elegant framework will ultimately be held in equal regard. This wine offers spiced complexities of pepper, star anise, Satsuma plum and blackberries. Oak is delivered in aristocrat spindles of cedar as a perfect counterbalance to the fruit weight. Tannins are fine and firm. The net effect is one of perfect clarity. Every nuance of fruit or spice is clearly defined and therefore able to be enjoyed.

The Lane Block 14 is as good as any new release Shiraz our tasting panel has tried this year.

I tasted this particularly delicious Shiraz matched with an equally delicious Steak Tartare from The Lane’s restaurant menu.

“Succulent texture and general bovine magnificence with one of the Best Shiraz I have tried this year.”

Next on the fork was confit ocean trout, pickled white anchovy, egg, capers, salsa Verde paired with their Prominent Hill Chardonnay 2008, which was magnificent.

“An amazing combination of textures and flavours - with a supremely elegant but full flavoured Chardonnay.”

It is one of the family’s favourite dishes and one of the few that is never modified nor experimented with. Apparently John Edwards, co-owner and serious foodie, is often heard in the kitchen offering the sage advice ‘don’t mess with it!’ I agree.

I actually groaned after my brain caught up with teeth and started excitedly machine-gunning flash cards at my retina … ‘Wow, this is good’ … ‘Hey, that egg makes it even better’, and ‘How good does it go with that Chardy’. What an afternoon, the excellent company of Ben and a bellyful of food and wine matched to die for.

The Lane is the brainchild of well-known Aussie winemaker John Edwards whose long-term dream was to make distinctive wines with all the exuberance of Australian - grown fruit yet classic ‘old world’ structure. Q

DoctorQ MAY 2012

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DENDY MOVIES Met Opera - Verdi’s La Traviata Special Screening: 12 May,10am Screens: 13 May, 1pm; 17 May 10.30am Dendy Portside only Natalie Dessay will put on the red dress in Willy Decker’s stunning production, in her first Violetta at the Met. Matthew Polenzani sings Alfredo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky is Germont, and Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.

Tickets now on sale online http://www.dendy.com.au/Movie/Met-Opera-Verdis-La-Traviata

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Opens: 31 May Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez Based on Heidi Murkoff’s 16 million copy best-selling book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is an ensemble romantic comedy in the vein of Love Actually and Valentine’s Day; a modern look at love through the eyes of five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, and ultimately coming to understand the universal truth that no matter what you plan for, life doesn’t always deliver what’s expected.

Prometheus

My Fair Lady

Opens: 7 June Cast: Charlize Theron

Special screening: 18 June, 10am and 6pm Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway

Ridley Scott, director of Alien and Blade Runner, returns to the genre he helped define.

With Prometheus, he creates a ground-breaking mythology in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Egotistical Professor Henry Higgins bets his friend Colonel Pickering that he can transform unrefined Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) into a lady. Young aristocrat Freddy falls in love with the sophisticated new Eliza, and as she becomes less reliant upon Higgins, he realises he can’t live without her.

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift Opens: 28 June (Animation) Voices: John Leguizamo, Ray Romano Directors: D-Steve Martino, Michael Thurmeier Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he has been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences, a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

WIN MOVIE TICKETS FOR TWO Name: Postal address: Portside Wharf, Remora Road, Hamilton Ph: (07) 3137 6000 www.dendy.com.au 54

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

Phone:

FAX BACK TO (07) 3856 4727 or email editor@amaq.com.au by 31 May

DoctorQ MAY 2012

55

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CULTURE Les Ballets Eloelle - Men in Pink Tights From 1 June, Concert Hall, QPAC Making their world premiere season in Australia, Les Ballets Eloelle brings its new production Men In Pink Tights - the most spectacular, talented and hilarious all-male comedy ballet ever - to the QPAC Concert Hall.

Les Ballets Eloelle, considered the greatest troupe of its kind, combines the talents of international professional male ballet dancers who have performed with luminary dance companies as the New York Ballet, The American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet.

Out of the Box Festival for Children 12-17 June, Cultural Centre, South Bank In its 20th year, QPAC’s Out of the Box festival is a week of cultural activity crafted to celebrate and support children’s elarning and foster a love of the performing atrs through curiosity, discovery and serious play. It is a time when children take over and reinvent our capital’s cultural icons into a great big playground, full of fantastic workshops, artworks and activities that celebrate our connection with each other and our world.

David Helfogtt 29 August, Concert Hall, QPAC Legendary Australian pianist David Helfgott, the inspiration behind Academy award winning movie Shine, returns to Brisbane to perform a program of much-loved piano favourites.

Direct from performances in Leipzig, Stuttgart and Vienna, Helfgott is one of Australia’s most treasured musicians whose passionate musical interpretations and personal story of triumph combine to enchant audiences internationally.

WIN DOUBLE PASSES TO DAVID HELFGOTT

Name: Postal address:

Phone:

FAX BACK TO (07) 3856 4727 or email editor@amaq.com.au by 31 May DoctorQ MAY 2012

57

IN PRINT

Brukner and khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine 4e Its companion website features over four hours of masterclass video on assessment and treatment.

The bible of sports medicine is now in a new edition and enhanced by a new companion website! Brukner and Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine 4e is the complete practical guide to musculoskeletal medicine and physical therapy, covering all aspects of diagnosis and management of sports-related injuries and

Brukner and Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine 4e is published by McGraw-Hill Australia and retails for $189.95. Q

physical activity.

To go in the draw to win a copy of this book, simply fill out your details in block letters on the form below and fax it back to Doctor Q on (07) 3856 4727.

It’s comprehensive with over 1200 pages, and both current and authoritative with contributions by a 100-strong author team, all renowned experts in their field.

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FAX TO: (07) 3856 4727 or email editor@amaq.com.au by 31 may

QPAC WINNER

BOOK WINNER

DENDY WINNERS

Dr Dinah Blunt won A piece of my mind by Professor Gordon Parker, the Pan MacMillan Australia giveaway in last edition’s Doctor Q.

Dr K Boon Kua, Dr Ken Bowes and Dr Alison McColl won tickets to Songs for Nobodies, courtesy of QPAC.

Double pass winners: 1.

2.

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Winners for the exclusive premiers for the eVENTS+Training newsletter: A Dangerous Method 1.

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J Powell G Antoce K Chen J Black T Sladden J Huang M Wallace P Bryan T Trinh V Slinko G Pomery F Chen

MAY 2012 DoctorQ

13. M Dickfos 14. C Altmann 15. W Christie 16. K Chatterjee 17. J Parker 18. R Hodge 19. A Reeves 20. C Yu

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Romeo and Juliet 1. A Hutchinson 2. R Kerr 3. B Lindgren

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Stop Dreaming and Start Sailing Today!

Ever sat at your desk and dreamed of going sailing? Now there is an affordable and easy way without investing in a depreciating asset or worrying about maintenance and other hassles of traditional boat ownership.

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Visit us and come onboard the yacht at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, Gold Coast from 24-27 May 2012. Or call us at SailTime Moreton Bay on 0418 199 416 for more information or to arrange a test sail.

Email: ianh@sailtimeaustralia.com.au or visit www.sailtimeaustralia.com.au or see us on Facebook at SailTime Moreton Bay

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Agent: Bradley Butten 0412 672 750 bradley.butten@raywhite.com

Established paediatric podiatry practice with 159m2 of home or office space or both! Including 3 consulting rooms, cast room, work room, storage and staff room. Dr Netscher has built the business over 15 years and its booming, they saw over 400 children in January alone. The perfect podiatry business to step into or change to your speciality and prosper.

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This luxurious residence designed and constructed under a Feng Shui Grand Master sits on a private and level 2544m² in the heart of Ascot. Created to provide a relaxed haven for the entertainer, this immaculate residence offers a superb family sanctuary that is exceptionally private and tranquil. Don’t miss your opportunity to own this magnificent property in Brisbane’s blue ribbon suburb.

Auction On Site 12th May 1pm View by appointment Agent: Bradley Butten 0412 672 750 bradley.butten@raywhite.com

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has finance specialists on call?

Queensland finance specialists L-R Jeff Miller, Fleur Hartnett, Simon Moore, Sam Baxter, Todd O’Reilly, Amber Speedy, Jessica Murnane, Michael Foley, Laura Walters, Bill Dale, Angela Warren, Nicole Rigo, Bree Origlasso, Alan Coughlan, Barry Lanesman.

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