April 2016 edition
Email: dame.liaison@casa.gov.au

DAME Newsletter - April 2016

From Principal Medical Officer, Dr Michael Drane

We are now sending you ‘DAME Updates’ by email to provide you with important information as soon as the need is recognised. The information in the emails will also be published in these monthly DAME Newsletters. This will ensure you can easily access a permanent record of this information on our website at any time.

The new medical records system, MRS has been the focus of the first ‘DAME Updates’ issued this month. MRS has presented challenges for everyone involved in the aviation medical certificate process, including Av Med. We are endeavouring to provide you with timely support, while also completing assessments. I would like to thank you for your patience and also encourage you to use the valuable MRS resources available on our website.

Please take a moment to read the brief articles below to make sure you’re up to date with the latest on MRS.

With best wishes,

Michael

MRS – are you compliant?

DAMEs must put various security measures in place to protect MRS records from misuse and unauthorised access. Please make sure you have:

A current privacy policy
A plan in case of a data breach
A policy for managing redundant or compromised computer accounts.

The last DAME Newsletter included some helpful links. The updated DAME Handbook contains the terms and conditions for dealing with MRS records.

If you are not compliant with the terms and conditions, you need to:

notify CASA in writing by 1st May 2016
takes all steps necessary to remedy that non-compliance by 1st June 2016 (or any later date agreed by CASA)
confirm to CASA by 8th June 2016 (or any later date agreed by CASA) that you have taken all steps necessary to remedy that non-compliance.

If you have any questions, please contact CASA’s Aviation Medicine team on (02) 6217 1170 or at dame.liaison@casa.gov.au.

Direct number for DAMEs

Aviation Medicine’s DAME Liaison line, 02 6217 1170, is manned by a senior assessor and is specifically set up to take calls from DAMEs.

For this reason, we ask that DAMEs please use the DAME Liaison line only. Please leave a message if the line is engaged and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Aviation Medicine is currently receiving a high number of calls and is working hard to answer all enquiries while completing medical assessments. We thank you for your patience.

Before calling the DAME Liaison line with a question about using MRS, we also recommend checking the resources available on the Aviation Medicine website:

MRS - Class 2 payments

Class 2 medical certificate applicants are not requested to pay the CASA processing fee in MRS until they see a DAME. This is because payment of the fee is not required in some cases – some DAMES are delegated to assess and issue Class 2 medical certificates (DAME2).

To prevent delays in the medical certification process, it is important that DAMEs ask Class 2 medical certificate applicants to pay the $75 CASA processing fee in MRS at the end of their examination.

DAMEs cannot submit class 2 medical applications to CASA until this fee has been paid in MRS.

After clicking the ‘Process Exam’ button, you will be taken to the ‘Examination Summary’ page.
Click the ‘Make a Payment’ button and ask the applicant to enter their credit card details.
Once you have completed problem mapping, you will then be able to submit the application by clicking ‘Send to CASA to assess’.

MRS - SNOMED

CASA listened to feedback from DAMEs and has now improved the SNOMED search function in MRS.

The search function now allows you to enter multiple search terms, returning more consistent and clinically relevant search results.
When using SNOMED, It’s also important to remember the following points:

SNOMED problem codes are for diagnoses, not treatments. For example, acute cholecystitis can be entered, but not cholecystectomy. Enter IHD (Ischaemic heart disease) rather than stent.
Use the ‘COMMENTS’ box to provide relevant details of treatments.
Findings such as age-related tests should be allocated to Screening –NAD.
For family history findings, tick the Unresolved problem box.

A list of common SNOMED codes is available on the Aviation Medicine website for easy reference.