MyMedicare
From 1 October 2023, MyMedicare is available for voluntary registration for all patients with valid medicare card or a Department of Veterans' Affairs(DVA) card. You will be eligible to register if you have two or more face-to-face appointments at Seymour Street Medical and Dental Centre in the past 24 months. People who are facing hardship are exempt from all eligibility requirements. This includes people experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness.
By registering in MyMedicare, you may benefit from:
- A formalised relationship with your general practice or GP, which has shown to improve health outcomes.
- Longer Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) funded telehealth consultations with your GP.
- Incentive for longer telehealth consultations for children under 16 and Commonwealth Card Concession card holders, from 1 November 2023.
- More regular visits from your GP and better care planning for people living in a residential aged care home, from August 2024
- Connections to more appropriate care in general practice for people who visit hospital regularly, from mid-2024
Shingles vaccination
From 1 November 2023, the shingles vaccine Shingrix® will replace Zostavax® on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule to help prevent shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia.
A free 2-dose course of Shingrix® will be available for:
- people aged 65 years or over
- First Nations people aged 50 years or over, and
- immunocompromised people aged 18 years or over with specific medical conditions such as haemopoetic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplant, haematological malignancy and advanced or untreated HIV
Iron deficiency anaemia
Iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most common haematological conditions in the world, affecting females of childbearing age, children and individuals living in low- and middle- income countries.
Iron is an essential component for haemoglobin synthesis, and its uptake, storage and utilisation are regulated by a number of physiological mechanisms. Haemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Iron is absorbed in proximal small intestine via dietary containing iron. Food containing high iron such red meats, fruits and vegetables such as beans, lentils, tofu and etc. To increase iron absorption, Vitamin C can be consumed with iron tablets or foods containing high iron.
Iron infusion therapy
Iron infusion therapy is now available at our clinic which only takes 15 to 20 minutes. The iron infusion therapy is Ferinject (Ferric carboxymaltose) which was listed on PBS June 2014. If you have low iron studies and anaemia on blood tests and unable to tolerate oral iron tablets, iron infusion therapy is another alternative treatment available. It has very good safety profile with very rare occasion of anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid reaction. Other side effects are headache, nausea, abdominal pain and injection site reaction (includes possible skin staining from leakage of iron infusion). In the past, a doctor had to refer a patient to a hospital for iron infusion and been put on long waiting list. However, this will no longer necessary. Iron infusion procedure will cost $200 with Medicare rebate $82.90 (this does not include the cost of Ferinject)
NB: Patient will need to see a doctor first. The doctor will assess the patient and check on latest blood test results. The doctor will then write prescription for Ferinject. The patient will book a time for iron infusion to be done on designated day. As per our medical centre policy, we are only doing iron infusion for a patient who is 15 year old and above.