Hospital Circular 08/1997: Hospital Circulars - Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Hospital Circular 8/1997

Date Issued: 17 June 1997
Publication: 8/1997
Contact: Regional Office
Distribution: Public Hospitals, Extended Care Centres
Subject/s:

Day Only Arrangements - Amendments to the Type B (Day Only) and Type C (Exclusions) Lists
Department of Veterans Affairs - eligibility for treatment entitlement cards
Prostheses List - amendments
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - correction

Purpose: The purpose of this circular is to advise hospitals of the above.

1. DAY ONLY ARRANGEMENTS - AMENDMENTS TO THE TYPE B (DAY ONLY) AND TYPE C (EXCLUSIONS) LISTS

The release of the 1 May 1997 Supplement to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) will affect the day only arrangements.

The enclosed Commonwealth Circulars No. HBF 492, and No. HBF 494 contain:

amendments made to the Type B non-band specific (day only) and the Type C (exclusion) lists as a result of the Supplement;
full copies of the current Type B and Type C lists incorporating these amendments; and
an order form at Attachment C, to purchase the May 1997 disk version of the Same Day Procedures Manual - August 1996.

As a result of these changes, could you please update the State fees manual Fees and Charges for Acute Health Services in Victoria: A Handbook for Public Hospitals as follows:

Same Day Patients- replace page 4 of part 1, Fees for Admitted Patients; and
- replace the 1 November 1996 Type-B and Type C listings with the 1 May 1997 Type-B and Type C listings in the attached Commonwealth Circular HBF 492, at Attachment A and Attachment B respectively; and/or
Same Day Procedures Manual - August 1996 - replace/amend as necessary the November 1996 disk/hard copy versions respectively. The replacement May 1997 disk version is available from the Commonwealth for purchase. Ref: the enclosed Commonwealth Circular HBF 492, Attachment C, for details.

If you require information specifically pertaining to the 1 May 1997 MBS Supplement, please telephone Paddy Forbutt in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, Medicare Benefits Branch on (06) 289 6815 or fax your query to (06) 289 4996.

If you require any other information about Commonwealth Circular No. HBF 492, please telephone: (06) 289 8786 - 24 Hour Answering Service, Health Insurance Services Section, Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services or E-mail the Enquiry To: lydia.mills@a1.cbr.hhcs.gov.au

2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN'S AFFAIRS - ELIGIBILITY FOR TREATMENT ENTITLEMENT CARDS

2.1 Repatriation Private Patient Scheme: Veteran's treatment entitlement cards - reminder

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has been asked by the Commonwealth to remind public hospitals of the following information with regard to arrangements for veteran's hospital treatment:

The Repatriation Private Patient Scheme was introduced on 1 January 1995. It enables eligible veterans to be treated as private patients at the public hospital of their choice. Not all veterans are eligible for treatment under the Scheme, and eligibility must be established before the treatment occurs.

Effective 1 January 1996, the four card entitlement system was replaced with a two card system. If you seek further information on the DVA two card entitlement system, you should contact Commonwealth Department of Veteran's Affairs, State Office, on Ph: 9284 6564.

All gold card holders are automatically eligible for public hospital treatment as veterans but eligibility for white card holders must be established on each admission. Hospitals need to contact DVA about white card holders to establish eligibility at the time of admission or on the next business day if the patient is admitted over a weekend etc - hospitals should phone, Commonwealth Department of Veteran's Affairs, State Office, on Ph: 9284 6111 or fax 9283 6440.

You may wish to disseminate this information within your hospital.

2.2 Ex POWs

DVA will directly meet the cost of the Nursing Home Resident Contribution for ex prisoners of war (POWs) from 1 November 1995. This was an initiative to mark the Australia Remembers Commemoration - there are 6,000 POWs Australia wide. A POWs DVA entitlement card has POW embossed in the left hand corner. Hospitals should notify the Commonwealth Department of Veteran's Affairs, State Office, on Ph: 9284 6111 or fax 9283 6440 when a POW is re-classified to Nursing Home Type.

2.3 Updating State Fees Manual

Reference to DVA Funding Arrangements up to 31 December 1994, which were subsequently replaced by the DVA Funding Arrangements effective 1 January 1995, will be deleted from the State Fees Manual.

Accordingly, please make the following update to the State Fees manual: Fees and Charges for Acute Health Services in Victoria: A Handbook for Public Hospitals:

Department of Veteran's Affairs Patients - discard pages 10 and 10A in part 1, Fees for Admitted Patients, and replace with page 10 (attached).
Nursing Home Type Patients - replace pages 23 in part 1, Fees for Admitted Patients.

3. PROSTHESES LIST - AMENDMENTS

Commonwealth Circular No. HBF 489 (attached) includes amendments to the March 1997 Schedule of Basic Table Benefits for Prostheses. The changes took effect from 30 April 1997. Notification of these changes also appeared in the Commonwealth Government Notices Gazette Number GN17 of 30 April 1997.

4. RECIPROCAL HEALTH CARE AGREEMENTS - CORRECTION

(Note: some hospital may be informed of this already through a recent Acute Health memorandum).

The Department of Human Services, Victoria, Circular No. 46/1993 about Reciprocal Health Agreements (enclosed), should be corrected as follows:

Within the existing paragraph 3, change the sentence which begins Diplomatic/consular staff

FROM:

3...........Diplomatic/consular staff and their families from RHCA countries are eligible for Medicare benefits on the same basis as Australian residents (ie elective surgery).

TO :

3............Diplomatic/consular staff and their families from RHCA countries, except New Zealand, are eligible for Medicare benefits on the same basis as Australian residents (ie elective surgery). Diplomatic staff and families from New Zealand are not eligible for Medicare.

DR CHRIS BROOK
DIRECTOR
ACUTE HEALTH