Chronic disease is responsible for 70% of the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. The Practice Incentives Program – Indigenous Health Incentive (PIP IHI) PIP IHI seeks to address this gap through supporting general practice and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to appropriately and effectively meet the health care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a chronic disease.
From 1 January 2023, the following will change:
- Eligibility will be expanded to include children under the age of 15
- GP Mental Health Care Plans will be added as eligible items for the purposes of outcomes payments
- The requirement to deliver a certain number of services in a calendar year will be replaced with a 12-month rolling window, starting from the date the first eligible service is delivered. This will give practices more time to deliver the services required to achieve outcomes payment.
- The program will start moving towards a back-ended payment structure. This means the majority of the payment will be provided after a threshold level of care has been provided. A transition period – where registration is gradually reduced, and the Tier 2 payment is gradually increased – will give practices time to adjust to this change.
Read the fact sheet or visit the Australian Government Department of Health website to find out more.