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Foot Health Month 2011

FOOT HEALTH MONTH 2011

This year the theme of Foot Health Month is Diabetes: Counting the costs and we aim to influence Canberra’s decision makers and to educate the public.

The political campaign focuses on the need for additional (minimum of 12) Medicare funded visits to podiatrists for people with chronic disease-related foot complications. The public health campaign takes the form of Community Service Announcements for radio and television, urging people with diabetes to maintain foot health vigilance.

Community Service Announcements – Television and Radio

Australia’s podiatrists have stepped up the fight against diabetes amputations, with this television Community Service Announcement (CSA) to be broadcast nationwide.

The television CSA features the President of Sports Podiatry Queensland, Rachael Bradhurst.

It will be on our screens during October 2011 as part of the Australasian Podiatry Council’s Foot Health Month.

Radio CSAs

Radio is one of the most powerful mediums to get a message across. It reaches Australians in their cars, their homes, their sheds and their tractors. For this reason, the Australasian Podiatry Council has created a series of radio Community Service Announcements (CSAs) to be broadcast nationwide.

The aim of the CSA’s is to spread the word about the importance of podiatry and its role in preventing foot health complications in patients with diabetes.

The radio CSA’s feature the President of Sports Podiatry Queensland, Rachael Bradhurst as well as members of the public – including indigenous actor Baamba.

The radio CSA’s will be broadcast on radio stations across the nation during October 2011 as part of the Australasian Podiatry Council’s Foot Health Month.

Click here to listen to the radio CSAs.

Read the APodC media release.

Lobbying Canberra

In the October/November issue of Podiatry Bulletin you will find a free practice poster. The poster calls on patients to complete a petition supporting our ‘more visits’ campaign. Please display the poster and download and print the petition form and its explanatory note, and inform your staff. The petition form will be available here until the campaign is over.

Collection of signatures ends October 31. Simply gather the responses, slip into an envelope, and return to:

Foot Health Month
Reply Paid 87303
MULGRAVE VIC 3170

There is also a lobbying letter. You can show your support by completing this and mailing to your local MP. We have provided a lobbying guide including advice on how to locate your MP. The lobbying letter is in Word® format and can be amended to reflect your practice’s identity.

Working with your local media

You may wish to work with local media to promote Foot Health Month. There is a prepared media release here and a guide on how to approach your local media. The release is in Word® format so you can amend it to suit your needs.

Public health campaign - Community Service Announcements

The foot health public campaign takes the form of a number of community service announcements (radio and television) urging foot health vigilance on the part of people with diabetes. Copies of the CSAs will be made available for use in podiatry clinics and at members’ websites early in the month of October. Your Member Association will alert you.

To access your resources simply click on the heading:

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APodC DIABETIC FOOT DISEASE TOLL CALCULATOR

The APodC Diabetic Foot Disease Toll Calculator shows the impacts of current and proposed diabetic foot health management models in Australia, in terms of hospital bed days, lower extremity amputations, deaths, and costs.

The outcomes of current management strategies in this country contrast sharply with those of optimal foot care management.

The left hand side of the calculator shows the impacts of the current system of diabetic foot health management. The right hand side shows how the impacts can be reduced with optimal foot health care.

To see how the optimal use of podiatry services could reduce the toll and learn more click here.

The APodC patient information leaflet Your Podiatrist talks about Diabetes offers advice on how diabetes can affect feet and useful suggestions on how to prevent or manage problems.

The development of the calculator was a collaborative effort by expert members of the APodC Board, office and general diabetic foot community. The APodC President, Andrew Schox, generously extends an invitation to other interested organisations and individuals in the health care sector to make use of it. Users of the calculator who are external to APodC are asked to acknowledge the role of the council in the form: Thanks to the Australasian Podiatry Council for permission to embed the ApodC Diabetic Foot Disease Toll Calculator at this web site.

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MESSAGES FOR GOVERNMENT

The new diabetes foot disease toll calculator highlights some significant inefficiencies of the current foot-health system. The proposed solutions to these inefficiencies, and others, form the basis of five new government messages from APodC.

One: Patient access to increased allied health services under Medicare

Good foot health for patients with diabetes is vital for their long-term health. Several chronic foot conditions including those related to diabetes can require multiple visits to a podiatrist to reduce or prevent damage to the foot or lower limb. The five allied health visits per patient available under Medicare (with a care plan) rarely meet the needs of the individual patient and may lead to hospitalisation and of hospital-based services.

Increased access to Medicare-funded podiatry services will reduce government expenditure on hospitalisation of these patients.

Two: Access to new MBS items for Podiatrists

We are asking the Federal government to list diabetic foot medical aides such as casts, moonboots, custom footwear and custom insoles as new Medicare item numbers for prescribing or supply by podiatrists for at-risk patients.

Three: Access to existing MBS items

Patient outcomes from nail surgery can be improved if performed by a health professional trained in the procedure and who perform the procedure on a regular basis. Surgery performed by experienced health professionals can be cost effective.

Extend access to MBS items for toenail surgery to podiatrists endorsed or trained to perform nail surgery.

Improved access to suitably trained health professionals including podiatrists can help GPs manage other patient conditions.

Four: Prescribing access to PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) subsidised medicines on the National Prescribing List for Podiatrists

We are asking the Federal Government to extend prescribing rights to those PBS-subsidised S4 medicines on the National Prescribing List for Podiatrists.

Allowing podiatrists who are endorsed to prescribe scheduled medicines to prescribe certain PBS-subsidised medicines will help improve overall capacity and productivity and increase the efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness of the health workforce access to primary-care services.

Five: National Prescribing List for Podiatrists

The Federal Government needs to create uniform national prescribing rights for S4 medicines.

These messages will guide APodC’s lobbying activities over the short to medium term.

 

MESSAGES FOR GOVERNMENT – FOCUS ON DIABETES

In support of Diabetes Week 2011 APodC lobbied the Federal Government for changes in current policy to support podiatrists more effectively manage diabetic foot health complications. A brochure encapsulating those arguments is here.

The arguments included an analysis of the return on investment government might expect, a call for new MBS items for prescribing or supply by podiatrists, and for funded access to podiatry services.

Return on investment in foot health

Research shows that spending more money on podiatry and foot health can save the Australian taxpayer over $300 million each year.

For example, 12 Medicare-funded podiatry services for patients with diabetes costs a few hundred dollars and would allow podiatrists to assess patients’ feet frequently enough to ensure the timely prevention or treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Lower limb amputations, on the other hand, can cost the health system anywhere up to $100,000 per patient.

The savings across the health system are significant.

New MBS items for prescribing or supply by podiatrists

We are asking the Federal Government to list diabetic foot medical aides such as casts, moonboots, custom footwear and custom insoles for patients at risk of foot ulcers as new Medicare item numbers for prescribing or supply by podiatrists.

Use of these aides is evidenced to prevent foot wounds, damage and amputations in patients with diabetic foot complications.

Funded access to podiatry services

The five allied health care services per patient available under Medicare (with a care plan) rarely meet the needs of the individual patient. This lack of appropriate management may lead to hospitalisation, amputation, reduced quality of life and sometimes death.

We are asking the Federal Government to increase the number of Medicare-funded services for people with chronic disease-related foot complications, such as diabetes, to a minimum of 12 allied health care services.

Increased access to podiatry services is evidenced to considerably reduce government expenditure on hospitalisation of these patients.

Good foot health for patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases (like kidney disease) is vital for their long term health. Several chronic foot conditions require multiple visits to a podiatrist to reduce wounds, unnecessary infections and damage to the foot.