There is quite a bit going on at the practice at the moment with some comings and goings of doctors, commencement of building changes at Eaton to accommodate our new pharmacy and changes to billing arrangements due to the government changing the Medicare benefits introduced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the first of ongoing information bulletins on our website to make sure important information is readily available to our patients. You may also like to access our Facebook page and we will continue to use the text message medium to alert people when there are new bulletins available.
Welcome Janelle
Eaton & Australind Medical Centres would like to welcome Dr Janelle de Graaf to the practice. Janelle has come to us from Albany, and will be working from the Australind surgery. She brings specialist skills in obstetrics and will be involved in the care of our pregnant patients as part of our antenatal care team. All staff of the Eaton & Australind Medical Centres look forward to having Janelle as part of our team.
Goodbye and Good Luck Dee
It is sad to be saying goodbye to Dr Dee Arnold, who has been a key member of the Eaton & Australind Medical Centres team for the last 10 years, providing the quality care that all the team pride ourselves on and contributing to the health and wellbeing of you, our valued patients. The Directors, Associates and all staff cannot thank her enough for her contribution and our loss will undoubtedly be a big gain for her new practice in Dalyellup. Again, all the staff wish her all the very best in her new role and extend our gratitude for her contribution to Eaton and Australind Medical Centres for over ten years. Dee’s last day will be 1 October 2020.
With Dee’s departure the Directors of Eaton & Australind Medical Centres would like to reassure her regular patients that our other doctors are well placed to provide continuity of your care. For your care there are a range of both male and female doctors of varying ages with a cross section of sub-specialist skills, who can take on new patients. Thanks to Dee’s diligence, there are also excellent clinical notes and documentation to make transition of care a seamless process. Please speak to reception if you would like to know more about our doctors or have a look at our doctor’s profiles.
Eaton Medical Centre Pharmacy
October will see some building work being completed in the main waiting room and reception area at Eaton Medical Centre. The Amcal Pharmacy (Eaton Community Pharmacy) on Pratt Rd near the Collie River Bridge will be teaming up with the Eaton & Australind Medical Centres to provide a new dispensary within the Eaton Medical Centre. By the end of the year, prescriptions will be able to be filled within the Eaton Medical Centre building. Further details of the services to be provided by the pharmacy will be available soon.
Government Changes to COVID-19 Medicare Benefits
From 1 October 2020, the government will be pulling back on some of the Medicare benefits introduced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These benefits have allowed the doctors of Eaton & Australind Medical Centres to provide access to healthcare for minimal cost for many patients over the last 6 months. The withdrawal of these government provided Medicare benefits has necessitated some changes to access to bulk billing for some patients. A full explanation of the effect of the changes can be found at the following link:
Changes to the COVID-19 Medicare Billing Arrangements
That’s it for this bulletin. Our friendly reception staff are always available to answer any additional questions you may have. The Directors, Associates and all the staff of Eaton & Australind Medical Centres look forward to seeing you when you next visit one of the practices.