Ongoing conditions are managed best with a plan, regular reviews and a team around you. Chronic disease care is a strength of this practice: the doctors here have extensive hospital and general-practice experience in it, and care plans and their reviews are bulk billed – there is no charge for them.
Conditions we manage
- Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes
- High blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease
- Asthma and COPD
- Chronic kidney disease
- Arthritis and chronic pain
- Thyroid conditions
- Obesity and metabolic health
- Mental health conditions alongside a physical illness
GP management plans and team care
A GP management plan sets out your conditions, your goals, what will be monitored and when. A team care arrangement adds the allied health professionals you need and gives you Medicare-rebated visits to them – dietitian, podiatrist, diabetes educator, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist. Plans are reviewed regularly, and the practice nursing team does much of the review work with your doctor, which keeps appointments available and the monitoring on schedule.
Care plans and reviews are bulk billed at Health Nexus. There is no out-of-pocket cost for them.
Diabetes care
Diabetes care runs on a cycle: HbA1c and kidney function on schedule, blood pressure and cholesterol, an annual foot check and eye-check referral, and adjustment of your treatment as things change. The practice nursing team runs the diabetes cycle of care with your doctor, and refers you to a diabetes educator or dietitian where that will help.
The doctors
All of the doctors who work from Health Nexus manage chronic disease. Several have extensive hospital experience in it:
- Dr John Esho – internal and general medicine, including cardiology and nephrology experience
- Dr Arsalan (Sam) Mahmud – general medicine and emergency medicine; continues to work in acute care
- Dr Asim Razak – chronic disease, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions
- Dr Sai Tip – chronic disease, respiratory medicine
- Dr Miyulasi Attanayake – chronic disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma and COPD
- Dr Nadia Khan – chronic disease, diabetes and hypertension
- Dr Nalika Hendawitharana – chronic disease, preventive health
Fees and Medicare
Health Nexus Launceston is a mixed-billing practice. Children aged 12 and under are bulk billed whenever the practice is open, including evenings and weekends. Pension card holders over 65 and DVA Gold Card holders are bulk billed on weekdays between 8am and 5pm. Everyone else pays the consultation fee with the Medicare rebate claimed on the spot. The current fees are on the fees and bulk billing page.
The practice is open 8am–8pm Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm Saturday and 9am–5pm Sunday, every day of the year, and on every public holiday at the standard hours for that day.
Common questions
What is chronic disease management?
A structured way of looking after a long-term condition: a written plan, agreed goals, regular monitoring and reviews, and a team of health professionals working from the same plan.
Does a care plan cost anything?
No. Care plans and their reviews are bulk billed at Health Nexus.
What does a team care arrangement give me?
Medicare-rebated visits to allied health professionals – for example a dietitian, podiatrist, diabetes educator or physiotherapist – for a set number of visits each calendar year.
Do I see the nurse or the doctor?
Both. The practice nursing team does much of the monitoring and review work alongside your doctor, who sets and adjusts the plan.
How often should I be reviewed?
It depends on the condition and how stable it is. Your doctor will set the interval in your plan – for most people it is every three to six months.
