Incentives News Update
May 2015
Budget announcements
All information relating to Budget announcements affecting the incentive programmes can be found at
humanservices.gov.au/budget
Practice Incentives Programme (PIP) Teaching Payment

From 1 January 2015, the PIP Teaching Payment increased.

The payment increased from $100 to $200 for each three–hour eligible teaching session held for
undergraduate and graduate medical students preparing to enter into the Australian medical profession.

Practices which carried out eligible teaching sessions before 1 January 2015 will still receive $100 for
each three–hour session.

Practices can claim a maximum of two sessions per general practitioner (GP), per calendar day.
There is no limit on the number of students per teaching session.

Practices can use Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) for convenient claiming of teaching
sessions.

Practices can access detailed listings of PIP Teaching Payment sessions through HPOS in the
Incentive Summary screen.
Remember to complete your May 2015 PIP Confirmation
Statement
In early May 2015, we sent your practice a PIP Confirmation Statement to check that the information we
have for your practice is correct. Your practice must complete the PIP Confirmation Statement annually
to confirm eligibility for the PIP and individual incentives, and to make sure you get the correct
payments.
Submit the statement either:

online via HPOS at humanservices.gov.au/healthprofessionals and select Log on

by fax to: 1300 587 696
To register to use HPOS, you must have a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Individual Certificate linked to
your practice. To apply for a PKI certificate and register for HPOS, complete the registration form at
humanservices.gov.au/hpos
If your practice details are incorrect, your authorised contact person needs to inform us by completing
the relevant incentive form available at humanservices.gov.au/pip
Changes made directly on the PIP Confirmation Statement will not be accepted.
You must submit your May 2015 PIP Confirmation Statement by 31 July 2015.
If you don’t respond to the PIP Confirmation Statement within the timeframe, your PIP payment/s will be
delayed.
Indigenous Health Incentive (IHI)
IHI online

The IHI patient registration screen in HPOS has changed. It is now easier for practices to register
patients online for IHI.

There is a substantial increase in the number of practices taking advantage of the benefits of HPOS
to complete their IHI patient registrations.

As advised in our August 2014 Incentives News Update, new patient registrations must use the
current form Indigenous Health Incentive Patient Registration and Consent form (IP017.1401). You
can find the form at humanservices.gov.au/pip

The old version of the form has not been accepted for processing since 30 October 2014.
Updating the IHI guidelines
Our IHI guidelines have been updated to reflect that prescribers, other than GPs, can annotate scripts.
Eligible PBS prescribers, including nurse practitioners, can annotate prescriptions if they are a member,
employee or contractor of a PIP registered practice participating in the IHI.
IHI Cultural Awareness Training
If your practice has elected to participate in the IHI, it is a requirement that at least two staff members,
including a GP from the practice, have completed appropriate cultural awareness training within 12
months of the practice signing on to the incentive. Your practice must keep the certificates or similar
documentation to show you have met this requirement.
Failure to supply evidence that your practice has undertaken cultural awareness training during an audit
may result in practice payments being withheld or recovered.
For more information on appropriate cultural awareness training, please refer to the PIP Indigenous
Health Incentive guidelines at humanservices.gov.au/pip or racgp.org.au
Important reminders

From March 2015, we are no longer confirming change of practice details provided to us. You can
check that your details have been updated through HPOS in the practice details screen.

Change of practice details can be made in HPOS. The changes made through HPOS are immediate
and can reduce the likelihood of your PIP payment being delayed. You also won’t have to send us
any paperwork.

Check your practice’s fax number transmits when you send us a fax. You will need to switch on the
optional setting on your fax machine to allow for this. We have updated our fax system and it will
send a reply confirmation when your fax is received.

When you send your paperwork by fax there is no need to also send us a hard copy. You will receive
a confirmation when your fax is received.
For more information
Online
humanservices.gov.au/pip and humanservices.gov.au/pnip
Email
pip@humanservices.gov.au or pnip@humanservices.gov.au
Mail
Incentive Programmes
Department of Human Services
GPO BOX 2572
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Call
1800 222 032*
(8.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday Australian Central Standard Time)
Fax
1300 587 696**
*Call charges apply from mobile and pay phones only.
**Call charges apply.