Saturday, 19 September 2026
NSW medicinal cannabis driving exemption, Medicare Healthy Kids Check returns, Telehealth identity fraud warning
- 01
NSW passes THC driving exemption for eligible medicinal cannabis users
NSW passed reforms that will exempt eligible medicinal cannabis patients from drug-presence offences when driving with THC in their system, replacing an automatic three-month licence loss under the previous framework. The exemption will apply only to unrestricted licence holders who register with Transport for NSW, provide a valid prescription and complete mandatory online education; learner, provisional and commercial drivers are excluded. Registered drivers will remain subject to roadside testing and an immediate 24-hour driving ban after a positive result, with escalating consequences if laboratory THC levels exceed 50 ng/ml. They must have no alcohol or other drugs in their system and can still be charged if impaired, while surgical representatives have argued that THC concentrations do not reliably indicate driving impairment. The changes are expected to take effect in late 2026 or early 2027 and will be reviewed after one year.
- 02
Medicare Healthy Kids Check returns for eligible three-year-olds
From 1 November, GPs will be able to use existing time-tiered health assessment items for a once-per-child Medicare Healthy Kids Check, subject to Thriving Kids legislation passing. The check will cover Medicare-eligible children aged three to four, excluding those under three or over four. Mandatory components include developmental, behavioural, family and environmental assessments; toileting and continence review; eyesight, hearing and oral health examinations; and height and weight measurements. GPs must also advise carers, arrange necessary interventions or referrals, document the assessment and offer the carer a written report. Regular consultation items may attract higher rebates for checks lasting up to 29 minutes, while health assessment items pay more for checks of 30 minutes or longer.
- 03
Telehealth identity deception used to obtain drugs of dependence
People have reportedly impersonated existing patients during telephone consultations to obtain drugs of dependence, prompting a warning from RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz. Callers used common names, persuaded reception staff to disclose matching patient details and changed the telephone number on an existing record before consulting an unfamiliar doctor. In one reported case, a caller claiming abdominal pain after kidney stones received opioid pain medication; the deception emerged when the clinic later contacted the genuine patient. Medical indemnity provider Avant said it regularly encountered fraudulent attempts to obtain prescriptions for drugs of dependence. Dr Muñoz advised practices to confirm identity using details such as date of birth and address at the start of telehealth appointments, and to consider requiring in-person verification with photo identification for changes to patient identifiers.
via RACGP newsGP
- 04
Inquiry urges Medicare funding for prolonged alcohol and drug consultations
A federal parliamentary inquiry has recommended funding prolonged alcohol and other drug consultations through Medicare to improve access to care. The House committee made 30 recommendations, including mandatory alcohol and other drug training in medical college curricula, regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing, and national standards for online alcohol sales and delivery. It also called for greater priority for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, finding that public awareness of prenatal alcohol risks and FASD remained low. RACGP addiction medicine chair Dr Hester Wilson broadly supported the findings but said people with complex chronic multimorbidity still struggled to access holistic care. She also warned that expanding screening, early intervention and prescribing across more health professions could leave clinicians working in silos without effective team collaboration.
via RACGP newsGP
- 05
Expert panel backs 23 Australian primary care prescribing indicators
An expert panel approved 23 quality prescribing indicators across seven therapeutic areas for Australian primary care, the first such project in almost 20 years. Medication-related problems cost $1.4 billion and cause 250,000 hospital admissions annually, two-thirds of which are preventable. The indicators cover proton pump inhibitors, vaccinations, antihypertensives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, respiratory medicines, mental health treatments and analgesics; none relating to lipids met the selection criteria. They address medicine initiation, monitoring, high-risk combinations and deprescribing, including limits on post-surgical opioids and long-term benzodiazepines or Z-drugs in people aged 65 years and older. The indicators will next be tested with educational audit and feedback in a randomised controlled trial involving approximately 100 primary care clinics across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
- 06
CHMP backs 12 medicines for EU marketing authorisation
Twelve medicines spanning haemophilia A, cancer, generalised myasthenia gravis and other serious conditions were recommended for EU marketing authorisation by the EMA’s CHMP at its September 2026 meeting. Positive opinions included denecimig for bleeding prophylaxis in haemophilia A, ensartinib for ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer and gefurulimab for generalised myasthenia gravis. Povorcitinib was backed for moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa and would be the first daily oral treatment for adults refractory or intolerant to anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy. The recommendations also covered two biosimilars, two generics and a rabies vaccine, while the committee supported indication extensions for 11 authorised medicines. The CHMP also confirmed its refusal of allogeneic pooled faecal microbiota for acute graft-versus-host disease and noted withdrawals of two initial marketing applications and three indication-extension applications.
MDDR is a news digest for medical professionals. It is not medical advice and should not be relied on for clinical decision-making.