INDUSTRY INFO: Medicare Australia

Information Management/Information Technology Practice Incentives Program (PIP IM/IT)

www.medicareaustralia.gov.au

What is the Practice Incentives Program?

The PIP aims to recognise general practices that provide comprehensive, quality care, and which are either accredited or working towards accreditation against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP) Standards for General Practices.

PIP IM/IT Incentive

Changes to the PIP IM/IT Incentive from November 2006 aim to encourage practices to implement more secure IT practice systems and electronic patient health records to facilitate efficient and widespread information transfer and storage. Accurate and complete medical documentation is essential for supporting good clinical care and ensuring good communication between health providers, allowing them to respond quickly to patient needs to benefit both consumers and providers. In setting its requirements, NEHTA considers the most suitable standards and specifications from Australia and around the world, adapting them if necessary to suit the Australian context. If the necessary standards, specifications or infrastructure do not already exist, NEHTA is tasked to commission them.

The PIP is designed to encourage change that supports quality care, and reward general practices which are implementing such strategies. The revised PIP IM/IT arrangements, developed and agreed in close consultation with the general practice profession, aim to encourage and reward general practices to take the next step towards enhanced use of electronic patient records.

From November 2006, there will be two levels of activity recognised under the PIP IM/IT Incentive, Basic and Enhanced.

Tier 1 - Basic
The practice maintains electronic patient records, which include clinical data on allergies/sensitivities for the majority of active patients. In addition, the practice implements appropriate information security measures (e.g. virus protection, firewall, backup and recovery, access control and practice procedures/processes to support/maintain appropriate information security). The practice also uses appropriate security (e.g. encryption systems) when patient information and/or clinical data are transferred electronically.

Tier 2 - Enhanced
The practice qualifies for Tier 1 and uses electronic patient records to record and store clinical information on patients, including current and past major diagnoses and current medications for the majority of active patients.

ReferralNet meets the requirements for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 activities recognised under the PIP IM/IT Incentive Program.