Spotlight on Health Regulation

Bridget Wall⁠, ⁠Mitch Stein⁠ and guest ⁠Helen Townley⁠, the National Directory of Policy and Accreditation at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), discuss changes to AHPRA’s social media guidance to clarify the types of notifications that are more likely to trigger an investigation, for example publishing false or misleading information or breaching confidentiality. They also discuss AHPRA’s changes to advertising guidelines, particularly in relation to cosmetic surgery and cosmetic services. 

Bridget Wall⁠, ⁠Mitch Stein⁠ and guest Luke Kelly, a pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia NSW Branch President, discuss major reforms to Australia’s regulation of vaping products, which has changed the way vapes can be imported, manufactured, supplied and advertised in Australia, and the impact this has had on pharmacists, as all vapes and vaping products, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not, are now only able to sold in a pharmacy for the purpose of helping people quit smoking or manage nicotine dependence. 

Bridget Wall⁠, ⁠Mitch Stein⁠ and ⁠Alison Choy Flannigan⁠ discuss Australia’s booming medicinal cannabis market. What activity are we seeing from regulators including the Therapeutic Goods Administration and AHPRA? What is best practice for medical and pharmacy practitioners when prescribing and dispensing, and does telehealth pose any risks? They also outline tips for practitioners on how to best prepare their practices to appropriately and legally dispense medicinal cannabis. 

Watch our recent webinar, 'Medicinal Cannabis at the Crossroads: Navigating Legal, Regulatory and Healthcare Challenges in a New Era' for more information on this topic.

Mitch Stein⁠ and ⁠Bridget Wall⁠ discuss recent prosecutions against health practitioners across various state tribunals and what areas regulators, such as the HCCC, OHO and AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency), are focusing on. The most common complaints are around clinical care, inadequate or inappropriate procedures, and communication. Mitch and Bridget discuss what practitioners should have top of mind if they are subject to a disciplinary investigation and why good contemporaneous note-taking is vital.