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We are pleased to be this years Platinum Sponsor at the AMA National Conference for 2016.
This year, organisers have confirmed a conference that looks better than ever. They have lined up exciting speakers, interactive sessions, master class CPD sessions all within a famil…
The year has definitely kicked off with a bang for Synapse! We have a new website which will be launched later this week, and we have news on app developments, the rapid growth of Appointmaid and more. We have also opened a brand new large scale delivery centre to man…
Will outsourcing Medicare payments lead to privatisation? Phillip Adams of ABC’s Late Night Live asks just this of Margaret Faux – as US outsourcing firm, Accenture, rumours to be interested in tendering for Medicare’s payment systems.
‘Healthy is the new wealthy’ is one of …
In this recent Croakey article, Margaret Faux challenges the Government’s position and argues that the proposal to outsource Medicare payments could lead to long-term and irreversible changes to the fundamental nature of Medicare.
Read the story in full on Croakey.org
&nb…
Our very own Margaret Faux answers some questions for journalist Kate McDonald of PULSE+IT, as the story breaks that the Australian government is looking at privatising or outsourcing Medicare claiming and payments.
The idea of outsourcing the notoriously complex Medicare paym…
Medicare is one of those things that’s distinctly Australian but does it need to adapt to the times? Margaret Faux is a lawyer, registered nurse and founder of Synapse Medical Services.
Her PhD is entitled “Claiming and compliance under the Medicare Benefits Schedule: A critic…
Health Minister Sussan Ley’s office has come under fire for her recent comments, saying patients should be “suspicious” of pathologists’ estimates of how much they would have to pay for pap smears and blood tests to recover planned federal cuts. Our very own Margaret Faux dispute…
The pap smear debacle exposes an amnesia at the heart of government, where reforms are born in a vacuum and informed debate takes a back seat, writes Margaret Faux.
Ready the story in full on Croakey.org
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The Synapse office will remain open over the Christmas period with the exception of the public holidays.
There may be some minor delays in completing your files as we will be operating with skeleton staff.
We wish you all a safe and happy festive season and than…
What a year! It’s seems that only a moment ago we sent out the April newsletter and yet here we are, drawing close to the end of 2015. I’m delighted to be able to finally take a breath and update you on the exciting developments at Synapse since we last spoke.
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In this piece, Margaret Faux argues that the political climate on fee-for-service medicine is shifting, with the Minister for Health and her Government colleagues prepared to explore alternative options, at least for the management of people with chronic illnesses in primary heal…
2ser 107.3 take a look at the health professional behind your Medicare transaction.
How knowledgable are they about rebates? Could the government save money by investing in Medicare training for doctors? They speak to Margaret Faux, a PhD student in the Faculty of Health at th…
This bulletin contains important information about changes at HCF that will affect you from 1 July 2015. Please take a moment to read it now.
Best wishes,
IMPORTANT: Changes at HCF require action by you by 29 June 2015
Effective 1 July 2015, HCF is introduci…
April newsletter
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2015.
It’s already been an exciting year for Synapse, with our new Melbourne office now open for business and a new budget billing service, Synapse Saver, coming on stream next month. We’ve brought in some talented ne…
The Federal Government’s co-payments Plan B will add another layer of co-payment complexity to the Medicare system that neither doctors nor patients fully understand. Margaret Faux discusses a whole range of issues that this has raised in her recent article.
Ready the story …
Welcome to our last newsletter for 2014.
It’s been another bumper year at Synapse with solid growth in all areas. Our in-house purpose-built Appointmaid patient scheduling platform was rolled out and the service continues to attract more and more new clients. We …
September newsletter
Welcome to our second newsletter for 2014.
It has been a long, cold, and particularly busy winter here at the Synapse Sydney office but spring has finally come to Spring Street, Bondi Junction and much has transpired since we last wrote.
We’ve been…
Following on from the range of issues raised by Croakey contributors about the outsourcing of MBS and PBS payments, Margaret Faux discusses the most appropriate role for the private sector in supporting core government functions and the risks involved when private sector interest…
In this third article in a series about Medicare, Margaret Faux provides her take on an interesting legal angle of the GP co-payment.
Read the story in full on Crikey.com.au …
What can we learn from the UK’s recent experiments in primary health care about co-payments, economic incentives and the impact of creating barriers to access? Margaret Faux, from the University of Technology, Sydney, outlines some important messages for Governments a…
JOIN SYNAPSE AT HIC 2014.
Synapse will be in Melbourne at the HIC 2014 conference from 12-14 August, 2014. Come and visit us in Booth 5! We’d love to see you.
SYNAPSE MEDICAL SERVCIES is proud to support …
Australia’s digital health, e-health and health informa…
In this second of a series of posts about Medicare, Margaret Faux looks at how perverse financial incentives, the increased financial pressure applied to pensioners and GPs and the lack of supporting infrastructure make the Federal Government’s $7 GP co-payment proposal a high …
“In this first of a series of posts about Medicare, Margaret Faux notes that the Abbott Federal Government appears to be trying to gain some traction from former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s introduction of co-payments. But she says, more can be garnered from considering wh…
1 July fee updates
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee increases on 1 July 2014
As a result of a decision in the 2014-2015 Budget, only a handful of (mostly) GP services will be indexed by 2% on 1 July 2014.
Health fund fee increases on 1 July 2014
Some funds…
Synapps new release with a fresh new look is now available for download – Android version 1.2.9 and iOS version 1.2.0.
We’ve been listening to your feedback and have incorporated a new function enabling you to easily move your patients to a new location in 3 easy steps:
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Welcome to our first newsletter for 2014. The Synapse team has had a busy and productive start to the year and its ‘all systems go’!
This time around we have news on recent developments with Appointmaid, including an excellent example of the crucial importance of having Re…
In putting out an SOS for the Medicare Benefits Scheme, Margaret Faux says what we need is a thorough examination of the way it is used, along with a truly sustainable solution.
Seeking a Cure (488 KB)
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Medicare provider numbers can prove to be a minefield for anyone practising in more than one location. There’s a lot of myth, not a lot of substance and woe betide anyone who dares to travel beyond the horizon. By deciphering fact from fiction, Margaret Faux provides some clari…
Welcome to our last newsletter for 2013.
2013 has seen significant growth at Synapse as we offer new services, continue to develop our flagship app and are busy at conferences and with speaking engagements. We have even been involved in an innovative program with the Uni…
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee increases DELAYED until 1 July 2014.
You may already be aware that as a result of a decision in the 2013-14 Budget, the indexation of the MBS has been realigned with the financial year.
This means that MBS fees will be indexed on 1 Jul…