Patients hurt by high cost of diagnostic imaging

Earlier this year the Health Minister foreshadowed changes to the way health is funded, stating: “We have over 200 million free services through bulk billing … We need to make sure that where people have a capacity to pay for their own health needs that they do so …” In last month’s Federal Budget the Government announced the changes: “From 1 July 2015 previously bulk billed patients can expect to contribute $7 towards the cost of an out-of-hospital imaging service.” Dr Chris Wriedt, President of the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association, shares ADIA’s concerns.

Fifth Edition of Health Care and Public Policy: An Australian Analysis launched

Australia is sleepwalking down the US path; headed towards a two-tiered health care system that is increasingly inequitable, warns leading Australian health academics and authors of the book, Health Care and Public Policy: An Australian Analysis.

NHMRC's Research Excellence Awards Announced

[caption id="attachment_8246" align="alignright" width="133"] Professor Warwick Anderson[/caption]

Public Health Association of Australia Comments on Latest COAG Report

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has called on governments to reverse cuts to spending on prevention and to take action to deal with the obesogenic environment In the light of the latest COAG Report.

AMA Calls on Australian Government to Make Representations to Support Turkish Doctors

The AMA has written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott asking the Australian Government to call on Turkish authorities to immediately drop legal action against Turkish doctors who provided emergency medical care to people injured during protests in Istanbul in May.  AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said the AMA has learned that the doctors, who are members of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA), face a court case commencing tomorrow, 12 June.

ARU has Appointed Dr Ryan Kohler as its First Concussion Specialist

[caption id="attachment_8214" align="alignright" width="132"] Dr Ryan Kohler[/caption]

Peter Klinken Appointed New Chief Scientist of WA

Research Proves TUBB5 Essential For aHealth Functioning Brain

Basic Preventive Care For Heart Conditions is Lacking, According to New Study

[caption id="attachment_8150" align="alignright" width="64"] Associate Professor Julie Redfern, The George Institute for Global Health[/caption]

GAD65 Linked to Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers are a step closer to establishing the link between a protein with a split personality, called GAD65, and type 1 diabetes.

Queen's Birthday 2014 Honours List

 More than 700 Australians have been recognised across 32 categories in the 2014 Queen's Birthday honours list.

Best Practice Awards in Nursing Announced

Nine nurse leaders have been acknowledged for their outstanding work in primary health care at the 2014 Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) Best Practice Awards in Nursing.

New National Information Service to Improve Indigenous Health

Health workers are being given tools to support the reduction of alcohol and drug use within Indigenous communities with  the establishment of a new national information service, the Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre . The new Indigenous health service was launched by Chair of the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee (NIDAC), Associate Professor Ted Wilkes, at the 3rd National Indigenous Drug & Alcohol Conference (NIDAC) in Melbourne. 

Scientists Discover Bacteria Survival Methods

Scientists have discovered bacteria survival methods where bacteria can reshape their DNA when dehydrated by changing from the regular double helix, known as B-DNA to the more compact A-DNA form.

Students Placements the Key to Shortage of Remote Dental Practitioners

One of the keys to solving extreme shortages of dental practitioners in remote Australia is proving to be short-stay (three to four weeks) placements for final-year dental students, according to a recent report into a 10-year program in WA.