Media releases

Thursday 10th December

New incentives to provide better health care to Indigenous Australians

Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon announced a new incentive program, to help provide better health care to Indigenous Australians, in Melbourne today.

Mr Snowdon said the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) Indigenous Health Incentive, costing $28 million over four years, will commence in May next year.

“It will target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients aged 15 years and over with chronic disease. Chronic disease and associated risk factors, are responsible for about two-thirds of the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.”

Chronic diseases include cancer, diabetes, renal and cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.

The incentives will help support general practices and Indigenous health services to provide best practice management of chronic disease. It will target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients aged 15 years and over with chronic disease.”

The PIP Indigenous Health Incentive will include:

• a one-off payment of $1,000 to practices and Indigenous health services that agree to undertake certain activities to improve care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients

• an annual payment to practices and Indigenous health services of $250 for each eligible patient registered with the practice for chronic disease management

• an annual payment to practices and Indigenous health services of up to $250 for each eligible patient for whom a target level of care is provided by the practice.

The health incentive’s requirements were developed in consultation with medical professionals and Indigenous stakeholders.

Mr Snowdon said the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive is part of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap: Tackling Indigenous Chronic Disease.

The program is being administered by Medicare Australia on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing.

To join this new incentive, practices must be participating in the PIP and meet specific sign-on requirements. Information will be mailed to eligible practices in following weeks. Practices can also get further information by calling 1800 222 032.

The first payments through the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive will be made to eligible practices in May 2010.

Media contact: Alice Plate (Snowdon) 0400 045 999

Copyright © 2004-5 Warren Snowdon MP. This page was last updated on 17 December 2009.