Which patients are eligible for dental services under the Medicare chronic disease dental scheme?

To be eligible, your patient must have a chronic medical condition and complex care needs and their oral health must be impacting on, or likely to impact on, their general health. A chronic medical condition is one that has been or is likely to be present for at least six months. It may include, but is not limited to, conditions such as asthma, cancer, cardiovascular illness, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, mental illness, musculoskeletal conditions and stroke. Complex care needs means that your patient is receiving ongoing care from a multidisciplinary team, which includes their GP and at least two other health care providers. In practice, this means the patient will need to be managed by their GP under certain care plans. For most people this involves the preparation of a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements. For residents of aged care facilities, it involves the GP contributing to a multidisciplinary care plan prepared for the resident by the facility. Patients should talk ...  more