Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program - Indigenous Chronic Disease (MSOAP-ICD) is one of the programs under the Commonwealth government’s "Closing the Gap" Indigenous Chronic Disease (ICD) package.

Service delivery for this program commenced in 2010.

• Aims and Objectives
  
• Services
• What can MSOAP ICD fund
• Highlights
• Register your interest
  
• For current providers
  
• Service proposals
  
• For more information

Aims and Objectives

MSOAP-ICD expands on the existing MSOAP program by providing multidisciplinary team care. This includes support for medical specialists, GPs and allied health professionals for the management and treatment of chronic disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in rural and remote communities.

The MSOAP-ICD measure focuses on service delivery for the following chronic disease conditions:

• diabetes;
• cardiovascular;
• chronic respiratory ;
• chronic renal (kidney); and
• cancer.

The objectives of the MSOAP-ICD measure are to:

• support health professionals to provide outreach services to rural and remote Indigenous communities;
• increase the range of services offered by visiting health professionals to detect, manage and prevent chronic disease more effectively;
• foster the collaboration between health services in the local Indigenous community and visiting health professionals to target the delivery of essential treatment to patients with chronic disease;
• improve ongoing management and continuity of patient care;
• provide up-skilling opportunities in the outreach location; and
• work with communities to build knowledge and support informed self-care.

For additional information visit:
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) 
The National Partnership Agreement on Remote Service Delivery

Services

Current Service Schedule

Please click here for the current service schedule (updated May 2012)

Eligibility

Services delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) – Remoteness Areas (RA) 2 (Inner Regional) to 5 (Very Remote) are eligible to be supported under this MSOAP-ICD measure. However, where possible the measure focuses the delivery of outreach services in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities situated in remote (RA 4) and very remote (RA 5) locations.

For further information visit Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) or the Remoteness Area Locator.

Target communities

The primary focus of the MSOAP - ICD measure is to deliver services to locations:

• with a majority of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population with a high prevalence of complex and chronic health conditions; or
• where a significant proportion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the location have chronic health conditions.

The Advisory Forum in each state and territories consider these target locations and their relative needs in recommending services under the MSOAP-ICD to the Department of Health and Ageing.

Planning and services

GPQ undergoes a comprehensive planning and review process on a continual basis to ensure services are meeting the health needs of the community in a culturally appropriate and coordinated way.

All relevant stakeholders are consulted throughout the planning stages to ensure the service is targeted and effective.

The type of delivery, whether ‘fly-in fly out’ or cluster depends on a number of factors including location, home base of the provided and local resources.

Prior to the start of service delivery, GPQ encourages all providers to conduct an orientation visit as well as undergo local cultural awareness training.

• GPQ - MSOAP-ICD Services 2011-2012

Other services

Other Workforce & Service Delivery Closing the Gap services.

What can MSOAP- ICD fund? 

The MSOAP-ICD measure is able to assist with funding to support new or expand established outreach medical specialist, GP, and allied health services.

Service delivery time should where possible, be claimed against the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Where health professionals are unable to claim against MBS, a sessional or hourly rate will be reimbursed.

Other expenses which MSOAP ICD funds for include:

• Travel  - flights, mileage, hire car
• Accommodation
• Meals and Incidentals – in line with the ATO rates
• Facility costs – fee for hiring a service venue
• Administration support – administration for the support of the outreach service e.g. organising appointments, processing correspondence, following up with patients
• Professional support - professional support means the informal support provided by the visiting health professionals to local medical and health professionals through telephone/ email support once the health professional has returned to their principal practice.
• Absence from practice allowance - an absence from practice allowance is payable to non-salaried private outreach service providers to compensate for "loss of business opportunity" due to the time spent travelling to and from a location where they are delivering an outreach service and/or upskilling.
• Upskilling - incidental or informal educational and upskilling activities, of either a theoretical or clinical nature, to local medical practitioners, health professionals and community members such as carers which are aimed at:
  • developing or enhancing specific skills;
  • sharing of knowledge; and/ or
  • enhancing on-going patient care.
• Case Conferencing - involving a multidisciplinary team may be convened for the management of patients at MSOAP-ICD locations

Highlights

2010-2011 MSOAP-ICD highlights include:

• Delivering 1252 clinical sessions to 34 locations across Queensland.
• In the 2010-2011 period, 19 service providers were contracted.
• Service providers delivered services to rural and remote Queensland across 19 different specialties including Psychiatry, Cardiology, Dietetics, ENT, Occupational Therapy, Dermatology and Gastroenterology.  
• A total of 4851 patients received MSOAP-ICD services.
• Under the MSOAP-ICD, 3330 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people received medical specialist services.

Service proposals

To propose an identified service need please complete the following form and return to Jane de Vuyst at jdevuyst@gpqld.com.au by Wednesday 28 March 2012.

Please click here for the form.