GPs & the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) : What do you need? – Healthcare

The Practice Incentives Program (PIP) is a government initiative
aimed at supporting and improving the delivery of primary health
care services in Australia. The program provides financial
incentives to eligible health care providers, such as general
practitioners, practice nurses, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health workers, to encourage them to improve their
services and engage in activities that benefit their patients and
the broader community.

To be eligible for the Practice Incentives Program, a general
practice must:

• Be accredited by the Australian General Practice Accreditation
  Limited (AGPAL) or the Royal Australian College of General
  Practitioners (RACGP); and




• Have a minimum of one full-time equivalent (FTE) general
  practitioner; and




• Provide services to a minimum of 100 patients per week;
  and




• Be registered with Medicare Australia and have an active
  provider number; and




• Be located in a designated rural or remote area, as defined by
  the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)
  Remoteness Area (RA) classification; and




• Must meet certain additional criteria, such as providing
  certain services to their patients, participating in quality
  improvement activities, and meeting certain targets for the
  provision of services.

What are the individual incentives available under the Practice
Incentives Program?

The Practice Incentives Program offers a range of individual
incentives, which are designed to support health care providers in
delivering high-quality primary health care services to their
patients. These incentives include:

• The General Practice Immunisation Incentive
  (GPII) which provides financial incentives to encourage health care
  providers to increase the uptake of immunisations among their
  patients.




• The General Practice Rural Incentives Program
  (GPRIP) which provides additional payments to practices located in
  rural or remote areas to help offset the higher costs of providing
  services in these areas.




• The Practice Nurse Incentive Program (PNIP)
  which provides additional funding to practices that employ a
  registered nurse to assist with patient care.




• The Quality Prescribing Incentive (QPI) which
  provides financial incentives to practices that promote the safe
  and effective use of medications




• The eHealth Incentive (ePIP) which provides
  financial incentives to practices that use certain eHealth
  technologies, such as electronic health records and telehealth
  services.




• The After Hours Primary Care Service Incentive
  which provides financial support to health care providers who offer
  after-hours primary care services to their patients.




• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  Health Incentive which provides financial incentives to
  health care providers who are working in Aboriginal and Torres
  Strait Islander health services.




• The Chronic Disease Management Incentive which
  provides financial incentives to practices that support the
  management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart
  disease




• The Enhanced Primary Care Incentive which
  provides payments to practices that provide enhanced primary care
  services to patients with chronic and complex conditions, such as
  diabetes or heart disease.




• Diabetes Incentive which provides additional
  funding for medical practitioners who provide care and support to
  patients with diabetes, including regular check-ups and diabetes
  education.

How are the Practice Incentives Program payments made?

Under the PIP, practices receive an annual payment and access to
additional resources that can help them provide better care.
Practices are also eligible for additional payments if they meet
certain clinical targets.

How can I apply for the Practice Incentives Program?

To apply for the PIP, medical practices must first complete an
online registration process. This involves providing information
about the practice, including its location, the number of patients
enrolled in the practice, and the type of services provided.

Once the registration is complete, the practice will receive a
confirmation email and will be able to access the online
application form. The application form will ask for further
information about the practice and its services, as well as the
criteria and targets the practice plans to meet.

How do I manage my PIP application?

Once a medical practice has submitted its PIP application, it
will receive a confirmation email and will be able to access its
online account. This account will allow the practice to track its
progress in meeting the program’s criteria and targets, and to
submit any required documents or information.

What is the Practice Incentives Program eHealth Incentive
(ePIP)?

The Practice Incentives Program eHealth Incentive (ePIP) is an
incentive available under the Practice Incentives Program (PIP)
that rewards practices for using eHealth services to improve the
quality and safety of their care. This may include using electronic
prescribing, electronic health records, or other digital tools to
manage and coordinate patient care.

How is the PIP relevant to legal contracts for a medical
practice?

In our experience there are medical practices that incorporate
PIP payments or a per cartage of PIP payments into contracts with
service providers or employees, there are different ways that
practices do this, and we can provide legal advice or draft
agreements for your medical practice if you are unsure how to do
this.