Procedural GP Payment practice application for Practice Incentives Program (PIP) 012-10020000

The PIP Procedural GP payment is to encourage GPs in rural and remote areas to maintain local access to:

• surgical
• anaesthetic, and
• obstetric services

Procedural GPs provide non-referred procedural services in a:

• hospital theatre
• maternity care setting, or
• other appropriately equipped facility, which in urban areas would normally be a specific referral based specialty

Eligible procedural services are clinically relevant professional services. They are listed in the Medicare Benefits Schedule and attract an anaesthetic fee.

Eligible procedural services are:

• obstetric delivery
• general anaesthetic
• major regional blocks
• abdominal surgery
• gynaecological surgery requiring general anaesthetic, and
• endoscopy

The procedural service must:

• use facilities and resources which are centralised
• involve a team of health professionals, and
• be done by a GP who participates in an appropriate skills maintenance program in the relevant procedural areas

Minor procedures, such as aspiration of a knee joint, do not fit the intent of this payment.

Payments are made to practices in February and August each year and are only available to practices in a Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area (RRMA) 3-7 location. This is as defined on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website.

There are 4 payment tier levels. Practices cannot add tier levels together.

There is no limit to the number of procedural GPs who can generate payments for a practice.

Practices with more than one procedural GP cannot combine the number of services.

The GPs must:

• individually meet the requirements of the tier, and
• be at the practice at the relevant point-in-time date

GPs can only qualify for one tier level per payment. They cannot generate a payment at more than one practice at a time.

GPs must notify Services Australia of their procedural GP details. This includes which practice the payment should go to. They do this using the Practice Incentives Individual general practitioner, nurse practitioner or health professional details (IP003) form.

Practitioners in PIP and WIP – Practice Stream has more information about registering procedural GP details.

Practices can apply for the PIP Procedural GP payment:

• electronically via HPOS in PIP Online, or
• by completing the relevant sections of the Practice Incentives Program Application (IP001) form at the time the practice is applying for PIP, or
• manually by completing the Practice Incentives Program Procedural GP Payment application form (IP004)

A practice must be:

• eligible, and
• approved for the PIP Procedural GP Payment before a GP submits their application (Practice Incentives Individual general practitioner, nurse practitioner or health professional details (IP003) form) for Procedural GP

Practices can withdraw from the Procedural GP Payment by:

• HPOS, or
• written correspondence via letter, email or HPOS messaging

The correspondence must include the:

• Practice ID
• Practice name
• Full practice address
• Consent to withdraw from the Procedural GP Payment, and
• Signature by at least one registered owner or authorised contact person

Practices can reapply at any time.

The PIP Procedural GP Payment guidelines have more details about withdrawing.