Friday, 18 September 2026
Endometriosis care plan launches, Triptorelin gains PBS access, ACCHOs can redirect GP incentives
- 01
Endometriosis management plan launched for Australian general practice
Australia’s first Endometriosis Management Plan has launched to support consistent, evidence-based shared care for people with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. The seven-step framework guides GPs and patients through concerns, goals, assessments and referral pathways before consolidating the information into a plan the patient can keep. It also includes structured clinical templates, practical assessment tools, evidence-based guidance and education resources. Developed by Monash University’s SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence and the RACGP, the tool aims to reduce diagnostic timeframes and support earlier management, shared decision-making and coordinated multidisciplinary care. The plan is expected to be integrated into practice software, although no timeframe was reported.
via RACGP newsGP · also covered by The Medical Republic
- 02
Triptorelin gains PBS access before low-dose goserelin delisting
Triptorelin 3.75 mg will become available on the PBS from 1 October for conditions including breast cancer, endometriosis and uterine fibrosis. The unrestricted listing provides an alternative monthly treatment before low-dose goserelin 3.6 mg is delisted from the PBS and Australian market on 1 November. The expanded listing will reduce the cost of triptorelin from more than $1370 without subsidy to less than $25 per prescription. Around 13,580 Australians accessed goserelin 3.6 mg or a comparable PBS-listed treatment in 2025. AstraZeneca will continue providing goserelin implants at no cost from 1 November for patients without suitable treatment pathways.
via RACGP newsGP
- 03
ACCHOs can redirect salaried GPs’ bulk-billing incentive share
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Aboriginal Medical Services can direct the GP portion of the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Payment to the practice’s bank account where this accords with employment arrangements and governance, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has confirmed. The standard 50/50 payment calculation does not determine how funds are managed under employment or contractual arrangements. The department said providers and practices should document the agreed approach through relevant employment, contractual and financial processes and obtain legal, employment, tax or accounting advice where required. Before updating HPOS, practices should confirm the payment arrangement, check the effect on other MyMedicare-related incentives and ensure the provider is linked to the correct organisation site. The nominated account applies to all MyMedicare incentives for that provider number location, while BB PIP payments may be forfeited if valid banking details are not supplied after four payment quarters.
- 04
ARBs rank highest for antihypertensive tolerability in large analysis
Angiotensin receptor blocker regimens had the best tolerability in a network meta-analysis of 716 double-blind randomised trials involving 159,362 participants. ARB plus calcium channel blocker therapy ranked first, while ARB monotherapy was associated with fewer adverse-event discontinuations than placebo (OR 0.73; absolute risk difference −0.8%). Some combinations were better tolerated than monotherapy, with ARB plus CCB producing fewer discontinuations than CCB alone (OR 0.43; absolute risk difference −2.4%). Almost all regimens reduced headache but increased dizziness, while CCB-containing regimens were particularly associated with oedema. The trials lasted four to 26 weeks and did not assess cardiovascular outcomes, limiting conclusions about longer-term safety or clinical benefit.
- 05
NICE draft advises BDD screening before cosmetic procedures
Doctors providing cosmetic treatments should screen patients for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), according to draft guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE recommends referring people with suspected BDD for specialist assessment rather than proceeding with the cosmetic procedure. The draft guideline covers the assessment and management of BDD and obsessive compulsive disorder, which can go unnoticed for years because people may hide symptoms through shame or embarrassment. NICE said earlier identification could enable support before symptoms become severe or reach a crisis point; its guidance on these conditions was last updated in 2005.
via BMJ
- 06
Long COVID cohort showed high prevalence of POTS criteria
Almost two-thirds of studied long COVID patients met diagnostic criteria for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), while approximately 83% showed clinically meaningful autonomic disturbance. The Australian study included 67 predominantly white women aged 18 years and older and compared autonomic symptoms, heart-rate responses, inflammatory markers and autoantibodies among participants with long COVID, POTS and healthy volunteers. Average heart rate rose by 35 beats per minute in the long COVID group during an active stand test, compared with 46 in the POTS group and 13 in healthy volunteers, and POTS and long COVID had clinically indistinguishable effects on quality of life. Researchers found no meaningful between-group differences in autoantibodies targeting α1- and β1-adrenergic receptors, while the association between interleukin-8 and POTS was considered hypothesis-generating and required further study. Experts argued that POTS should be included in long COVID diagnostic criteria and that patients with persistent post-viral symptoms should undergo regular autonomic assessment.
MDDR is a news digest for medical professionals. It is not medical advice and should not be relied on for clinical decision-making.