Practice Incentives Program (PIP) Quality Improvement (QI) Incentive payment update – November 2019

The Department of Health is committed to ensuring that all general practices, Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) that are registered to participate in the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) Quality Improvement (QI) Incentive, and have met all required eligibility requirements, receive an incentive payment for the first PIP QI Quarter (August to October 2019).

To ensure that general practices, AMS and ACCHS know when to expect a PIP QI Incentive payment, the Department provides the below information.

Entities that meet the below specifications will receive their payment in November 2019:

• Registered with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to participate in PIP QI by 15 October 2019 and submitted data to their local Primary Health Network (PHN) prior to their PHN’s data submission cut-off date; or

• Registered with DHS to participate in PIP QI by 15 October 2019 and submitted nKPI data to the Department of Health as required under the Indigenous Australian’s Health Program (IAHP); or
• Registered with DHS to participate and had an exemption granted between 1 August and 15 October 2019.

As the first 12 months of PIP QI implementation are viewed as a transition period, during which the Department will be taking a flexible approach to compliance entities that meet the below specifications and will receive their payment in December 2019:

• Registered with DHS to participate in PIP QI between 16 October and 31 October 2019 and submitted data to their local Primary Health Network (PHN) by n 31 October 2019; or
• Registered with DHS to participate in PIP QI between 16 October and 31 October 2019 and submitted nKPI data to the Department of Health as required under the Indigenous Australian’s Health Program (IAHP); or

• Registered with DHS between 1 August and 31 October and applied and had an exemption granted between 16 October and 31 October 2019; or
• Have not been able to be included in the first tranche assessments (November 2019) due to further work being required to assess their eligibility (i.e. correction of records, review of decisions and other extenuating circumstances).

For a small number of AMS and ACCHS payment PIP QI eligibility assessments may be delayed where multiple subsidiary organisations are reporting to a singular ‘umbrella’ organisation for the purposes of nKPI reporting.

Practices that did not receive a payment in either in November/December 2019 may also have had their payment delayed or withheld due to:

• Non-compliance with eHealth Incentive requirements (this can affect all PIP payments for a short time).

• The practice’s accreditation has expired.
• The annual confirmation statement has not been confirmed.

If a practice has not received a payment and feels that there are extenuating circumstances as to why they should have been considered may request a Review of Decision through the Department of Human Services.