7g. Preparing your practice for the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks
Tracks
Stream 7
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 |
| 13:15 - 14:00 |
| Room C2.5-2.6 (combined) |
Details
On 1 March 2026, changes to the MBS descriptor for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments (MBS item 715) will strengthen expectations for patient-centred and evidence-based care. Updated health check templates will follow in May 2026, further aligning practice with the National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In this timely session, Dr Jason Agostino will outline what these changes mean for general practices and their teams. The session will focus on how GPs, practice nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners, practice managers and reception staff all play a role in delivering high-quality, culturally safe health checks.
Attendees will gain practical insights into preparing their practice systems, workflows and team roles to support consistent, meaningful 715 health checks that work for patients and for practice teams.
- The updated MBS descriptor from 1 March 2026 strengthens expectations for patient‑centred and evidence‑informed care
- New health check templates launching in May 2026 are designed to better align with the National Guide
- High‑quality 715 health checks are about partnership with patients, not just compliance
- Practice systems, workflows and team roles need to support culturally safe care
- Practice owners play a key role in enabling consistent, high‑quality implementation
In this timely session, Dr Jason Agostino will outline what these changes mean for general practices and their teams. The session will focus on how GPs, practice nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners, practice managers and reception staff all play a role in delivering high-quality, culturally safe health checks.
Attendees will gain practical insights into preparing their practice systems, workflows and team roles to support consistent, meaningful 715 health checks that work for patients and for practice teams.
- The updated MBS descriptor from 1 March 2026 strengthens expectations for patient‑centred and evidence‑informed care
- New health check templates launching in May 2026 are designed to better align with the National Guide
- High‑quality 715 health checks are about partnership with patients, not just compliance
- Practice systems, workflows and team roles need to support culturally safe care
- Practice owners play a key role in enabling consistent, high‑quality implementation
Speaker
Ms Paula Holden
Chief People Officer
RACGP
Chairperson
13:15 - 14:00
Dr Jason Agostino
GP and Senior Medical Advisor
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
Preparing your practice for the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks
13:15 - 14:00
Jason is a non-Indigenous GP and an epidemiologist with a focus on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He is the senior medical advisor at NACCHO, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and a clinical associate professor at Yardhrua Walani at the Australian National University. He has worked as a GP at Gurriny Yealamucka, an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service in the community of Yarrabah in far north Queensland for the past 13 years and has recently started working as a GP for Waminda, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service on the NSW South Coast.
He has an interest in developing team-based community health care, and the use of routinely collected data to improve health services. He works with NACCHO on primary healthcare reform, is a member of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC), the MBS Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and contributes to national primary care reporting as co-chair of the Australian Government's Health Services Data Advisory Group.
