Technology/Clinical Practice Committee (TCPC)
About TCPC
Roles and Responsibilities
The Committee oversees and supports clinicians in the safe and appropriate introduction of a technology or clinical practice that has not previously been undertaken at Monash Health.
Approval must be obtained from the committee before commencing any new technologies or clinical practices on any Monash Health patient.
Once a new technology or clinical practice is approved by the TCPC, it is the responsibility of the head of unit, program director and executive sponsor to oversee the implementation of any technology and clinical practice being introduced.
The TCPC will monitor the progress and patient outcomes of each new application over two years or as determined by the committee. Applicants should submit progress reports and patient outcomes on a six monthly basis upon the commencement of the approved new technology/clinical practice.
Monash Health staff can access policies and procedures for the introduction of new technology and clinical practices here or via PROMPT.
The Terms of Reference of the TCPC is reviewed annually.
Meeting Dates 2024 (TBC)
Meeting Time: 4 – 5.30 pm
Last updated: 23 Nov 2023
| Meeting date | Applications to be submitted by |
| 5 March 2024 | 20 February 2024 |
| 7 May 2024 | 23 April 2024 |
| 2 July 2024 | Cancelled |
| 3 September 2024 | 20 August 2024 |
| 29 October 2024 | 15 October 2024 |
Meeting Dates
Last updated: 23 November 2022
| Meeting date | Applications to be submitted by |
| 6 December 2022 | Please contact TCPC Secretariat |
| 7 28 February 2023 | *14 February 2023 |
| 30 May 2023 | 16 May 2023 |
| 29 August 2023 | 15 August 2023 |
| 31 October 2023 | 10 October 2023 |
New Technology/Clinical Practice (TCP) Application
Definition of a New Technology / Clinical Practice
A new technology or clinical practice is defined as a therapeutic intervention (including prostheses; implantable devices; high cost pharmaceuticals; medical, surgical or other clinical procedures) or diagnostic procedure that is considered by a reasonable body of clinical opinion to be significantly different from existing clinical practice within our organisation.
Types of new TCP Applications
A: New Technology/Clinical Practice
This application is required when a new technology or clinical practice that has not been performed/utilised at Monash Health is to be introduced.
B: Change of Use of Technology/Clinical Practice
This application is required if there is a significant change to the technology and/or clinical practice that has already been introduced to Monash Health. This would generally refer to:
- Change or additional indication
- Including/removal of a particular patient group
- Change in the approach, technique or equipment design
C: Research Projects involving the use of new Technology/Clinical Practice
This application is required if a research project will involve the use of a new technology and/or clinical practice at Monash Health. The scope of the Committee review will be limited to ensuring that the credentialling, financial and/or operational implications have been considered for the new technology/clinical practice required for the research project. The application will be reviewed in conjunction to a Monash Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) application and will be contingent on a current HREC approval certificate.
  Which application would I need?
For further assistance with deciding if an application is required, please contact the TCPC Secretariat.
TCP Application Process
last updated : 19th October 2021
Prior to initiating an application, clinicians are advised to discuss the scope of the application with the TCPC Secretariat.
Step 1 – Download the relevant pack for your application.
Step 2 – Prepare the documents as outlined in the form.
Step 3 – Submit all relevant documents to TCPC Secretariat. Please refer to the submission cut off dates for consideration at the TCPC Meetings.
Step 4 – Once documents have been received and reviewed, the TCPC Secretariat will contact you within 2 weeks to provide you with a date for you to present your application to the TCP Committee.
Step 5 – Following your presentation, the TCPC Secretariat will be in touch within 2 weeks to inform you of the outcome of your application or if more information is required.
Step 6 – If your application is approved by the TCPC, you will be required to fulfil and adhere to the conditions of the endorsement for the duration outlined in the outcome letter. This would include the providing the Committee regular reports as outlined in reporting requirements for successful TCP Applications.
Download Application Documents
*Please note that the TCPC Secretariat is available at ANY stage of the application process for discussion.
TCP Committee Decision Criteria
Decisions are made considering the best available evidence, are transparent and accountable. The review process includes assessment of the following by the Committee:
- safety, effectiveness and cost effectiveness
- operational requirements such as cost, capacity, capability and credentialing
- considerations related to access, equity, legal and ethical issues
- review of patient information about the new procedure.
Reporting Requirements for Successful TCP Applications
The Committee monitors the successful outcomes and adverse events of each application over the span of two years (or more depending on the application) following the introduction of a new technology or clinical practice.
Upcoming reporting periods are:
| Reporting Period | Due Dates for Reporting |
| 2022: January – June | 15 August 2022 |
| 2022: July – December | 13 February 2023 |
| 2023: January – June | 14 August 2023 |
Applicants are to fill out 2 forms and send them to the TCPC Secretariat by the dues dates of each reporting period:
- TCPC Progress Report Template
- TCPC Patient Outcome Audit Spreadsheet
*Please note that you may also submit the Patient Outcome Audit using your own template.
As a guide, please refer to the table below on which forms are required depending on the status of your TCP:
| STATUS | PROGRESS REPORT | PATIENT OUTCOME AUDIT |
| TCP not commenced | Please fill out why TCP has not yet commenced | |
| TCP commenced | ||
| TCP commenced but no procedures performed during reporting period | Please fill out reason for no procedures | |
| TCP discontinued | Please fill out the reason for discontinuation. | |
| In process of applying for Review to Reclassify as Standard Practice | Progress reports are required until TCP is reclassified as Standard Practice. | Patient outcome/audits are required until TCP is reclassified as Standard Practice. |
These reports are then collated and reported to the Monash Health Executive Committee annually.
PLEASE NOTE:
All adverse events related to the new TCP must be reported on RiskMan and to the TCPC Secretariat as soon as possible.
Download Progress Report Templates
TCPC Progress Report Template
Word Document
TCPC Patient Outcome Audit Spreadsheet
Excel Spreadsheet
Review of Reclassification to Standard Practice
Following the standard two-year monitoring period (or more as outlined in the Conditions of Approval), successful outcomes, added value to patient care and improved clinical and cost effectiveness, applicants may apply for the approved New Technology/Clinical Practice to be reclassified to Standard Practice.
The process for reclassification may take up to 3 months.
Download Review for Reclassification Application Form
Evaluation of the Technology/Clinical Practice (TCP) Program
The committee invites ongoing feedback about all systems and processes.
A program logic map and evaluation plan were developed to facilitate evaluation of the program.
The program won the 2009 Australian Council of Healthcare Standards Quality Improvement Award for Non-Clinical Service Delivery. It was also nominated for the 2009 Victorian Public Healthcare Award for Most Appropriate Care: providing least intrusive and earliest effective care.
The TCPC was last evaluated in December 2015. A copy of the evaluation report may be requested from the TCPC Secretariat.
TCP Program Logic Map 2015
PDF Document
New Technology/Clinical Practice applications submitted for consideration
The lists below display titles of applications submitted to the TCPC for consideration. This does not indicate if the technology or clinical practice is currently being used in Monash Health.
All decision summaries published are readily available upon request from the TCPC Secretariat.
2023
- Off-label Hernia Mesh for Sarocolpopexy
- Endoscopic closure through the use of overstitch
- The use of Purastat in the endoscopy for post procedural haemostasis
2022
- V-Path for Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endosurgery (VNOTES)
- Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT)
2021
- Hydrus Microstent
- Endoscopic Pilonidal Sinus Treatment (EPSiT) using Video-Assisted Anal Fistula Treatment (VAAFT) set
- Endoscopic Full Thickness Resection Device (EFTRD)
2020
- Medrad Centargo CT Contrast Media Power Injector
- Self Dilatation for benign neopharyngeal strictures
- Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS)
2019
- Transperineal ultrasound for muscle biofeedback
- Sentinel cerebral embolic protection
- Migraine surgery
- Corneal neurotisation
- Doppler guided haemorrhoid artery ligation with recto-anal repair (HAL-RAR)
2018
- Vagus nerve stimulation
- Telemetric measurement of intracranial pressure
- Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) procedure
- Transoral thyroidectomy
- FlexDex needle holder in paediatric urology
- Transabdominal transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTMe)
- Treatment of venous insufficiency using percutaneous a) radiofrequency ablation and b) cyanoacrylate closure
- Superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass surgery
2017
- Endometrial-ablation hyperthermia catheter
- Tunnelled paracentesis for domiciliary ascitic drainage
- Physiotherapists administering inhaled medications
- Endoanchors
- Nutrition and dietetics pathology requesting privileges
- Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE)
2016
- Nellix stent graft
- Cochlear implantation in adults
- Negative pressure device to treat lymphoedema
- Micra leadless pacemaker
- Patient Safety NET Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device for the treatment of complex wide-neck brain aneurysms
- Hemospray use in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding
- Electrical nerve stimulation after peripheral nerve injury repair
- Coolsense device
- GDC and PCOS Laser hair removal service
2015
- Thromboelastograpy
- ReCell – Autologous cell harvesting device
- Vertebral augmentation (kyphoplasty) as palliative pain relief procedures in patients with disabling cancer-related spinal column pain
- Perceval-S Sutureless aortic valve replacement
- Skeletal distraction of the proximal interphalangeal joint
- Biojector 2000 – Needle Free Injection System
- Targeted Intra-operative Radiotherapy (IORT) for breast cancer