Support for GPs ahead of new Medicare item number for severe and complex eating disorders
As a GP, you are likely to be one of the first health professionals that a person with an eating disorder will engage. Eating disorders are associated with significant, wide-ranging medical complications that affect every major organ of the body. Early identification of an eating disorder is imperative in transforming the health outcomes of a patient living with an eating disorder.
Commencing on Friday 1 November 2019, a new MBS item number will be introduced for the treatment of eating disorders in Australia. This new item number will support the role of GPs in providing prevention, identification, management and referral of patients with eating disorders in primary care.
The National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NECD) has developed Eating disorders: A professional resource for general practitioners to support GPs and practice staff with understanding eating disorders and implement best practice care for patients and their families. The NECD has also developed free, online modules to help educate GPs in the screening, assessment and referral of patients living with an eating disorder.
For more information on training and professional development courses for GPs, including additional evidence-based resources and guides on eating disorders, please visit the NECD website.