Practice Managers Program

Business Management

• Business Analysis
• Practice Incentive Program
• Chronic Disease Management - Incentive Payments
• Other PIP Incentives

Business Analysis

Business Analysis will enable Practices to assess their business for areas of need.
It includes such issues as:

• debtor management
• billing procedures
• practice systems and procedures
• general practice policies and procedures, and
• risk management
• practice capacity
• data management
• human resources
• practice nurse

CHGPN - Practice Support

If you would like help in assessing your Business, CHGPN can conduct a Practice Analysis visit, tailored to the requirements of your practice.

Practice Incentive Program

The Practice Incentive Payments (PIP), introduced in November 2001, aims to recognise Practices providing comprehensive, quality care for their patients.

• To receive PIP Payments, Practices must be fully accredited.
• Most components of the PIP are proportional to SWPE* and practice size.

* Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent - See PIP Information (DoHA) Manual for more detail

In general there are 3 types of incentive payments:

1. Sign on Payment - one off payment intended to assist with setting up registers & recalls or for purchase of new equipment eg. Spirometer. Paid to practice, (except for Mental Health.)
2. Service Incentive Payment - Intended to remunerate the individual GPs for the services. This payment is made in addition to the Medicare rebate for consultation. Paid quarterly via PIP.
3. Services Outcomes Payment - Remunerates practices for reaching target levels of care. Paid directly to Practice via PIP.

What incentives are available?

There are a number of incentives Practices are eligible for:

Chronic Disease Management:

• Asthma
• Cervical Screening
• Diabetes
• Mental Health

Other PIPs

• IM/IT
• After hours care
• Teaching
• Quality prescribing initiatives
• Rurality

Useful Links:

For more information about Practice Incentives Payments

Chronic Disease Management – Incentive Payments

The following incentives relate to the management of Chronic Disease.

• Asthma - 3+ Plan
• Target: Patients with moderate to severe asthma
• Sign on payment: $0.25 / SWPE ~ $250 / FTE GP
• Service Incentive Payment: Paid per patient with completed Asthma "3+ Visit Plan".
• One plan per patient per year unless major change status $100 / pt using MBS item for Asthma 3+ Plan
• Service Outcome Payment: No SOP payment

Cervical Screening

• Target: Women 20-69yrs, no cervical screen for > 4 years
• Sign on Payment: 0.25 / SWPE ~ $250 / FTE GP
• Service Incentive Payment: Paid per Pap smear completed on women in target group $35 per patient using MBS item for Pap smears.
• Service Outcome Payment: Screening target of 70% of female pts aged 20-69 $2 / female SWPE annually. Paid quarterly in $0.50 payments

Diabetes

• Target: All patients with diabetes
• Sign on Payment: Must have register & recall reminder system (manual or electronic) to assist managing their diabetics $1.00 / SWPE ~ $1,000 / FTE GP
• Service Incentive Payment: Paid for each patient with completed annual diabetes check. Payable once per/yr per pt with diabetes.
• $40 / pt using MBS item for Diabetes Annual Check
• Service Outcome Payment: Target level 20% of diabetics. $20 / diabetic patient annually. Paid quarterly in $5 payments

Mental Health

• Target: Patients with mental illness
• Sign on Payment: GP registers for the initiative, receives a one-off payment $150
• Service Incentive Payment: Paid on completion of a mental health 3 Step Process ~ assessment, plan & review, $150/pt. Only 1 payment per patient per year. Maximum $10,000 per GP per year.
• Service Outcome Payments: No SOP payment

Other PIP Incentives

IM/IT

• Tier 1 - Providing data to the Commonwealth regarding Practice and practitioners as per the application form. (Information must be kept up to date by the practice).
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $3.00
• Tier 2 - Use of bona fide electronic prescribing software to generate majority of scripts in Practice
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $2.00
• Tier 3 - The Practice has on site and uses a computer/s connected to a modem to send (and/or) receive clinical information.
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $2.00

After hours care

(Any time outside 8am - 6pm week days & 8-12 noon Sat)

• Tier 1 - Ensuring patients have access to 24-hour care as specified in the application form
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $2.00
• Tier 2 - On average, at least 15 hrs/wk of Practice is after hours care done from within the Practice
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $2.00 (plus tier 1)
• Tier 3 - The Practice provides 24-hour care seven days per week from within the practice
• Annual payment to Practice per SWPE - $2.00 (plus tier 1 and 2)

Teaching

• Teaching of medical students (one session minimum of 3 hours duration).
• Payments are made quarterly in retrospect.
• $50 / session ~ max 2 sessions /student/day.

Quality Prescribing Initiative

• Participation in Quality Use of Medicines programs, endorsed by the National Prescribing Service. Activities include NPS clinical audit, case studies or practice visits by an independent pharmacist.
• $1.00 per SWPE if practices participate in average of 3 activities / FTE GP (1 must be clinical audit) annually. Paid in May

Rurality

• Paid if Practice's main location is outside the metropolitan area (increases with extent of remoteness). 15% to 50% loading of total payment.

For further information contact: Belinda Carra