General Practitioner Aged Care Access Incentive (GP ACAI) for Practice Incentives Program (PIP) 012-10150000

FAQs – for providers

In the following table 'I' and ‘you’ refers to the caller making the enquiry.

Table 1

Category title	Description
1	Question: Why has the PIP GP ACAI ended? Answer: As part of the 2023-24 budget the government announced it would be extending the PIP GP ACAI for 1 year until July 2024. The government also announced its commitment to increasing access to quality primary care for older Australians. It has invested $112 million over 4 years from 2023-2024 to introduce a new General Practice in Aged Care Incentive payment for services provided to patients living in aged care. You may be eligible under the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive. More details are available on the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) website or by calling 132 150 and selecting option 2. Note: offer to transfer the caller to the GP ACI section. Advise the caller to select option 2 and cold transfer the call to 132 150.
2	Question: When did the PIP GP ACAI end and final ACAI payment? Answer: The final PIP GP ACAI payment was made in August 2024 and covered services provided in 2023/2024 and July of 2024. General Practitioners have to 30 April 2025, to finalise outstanding payments. The final payment run will be May 2025. After this time, any outstanding payments will be forfeited.
3	Question: I receive PIP GP ACAI payments. Will I be automatically registered for General Practice in Aged Care Incentive? Answer: Practitioners will not be automatically registered for General Practice in Aged Care Incentive. General Practice in Aged Care Incentive will have its own registration and eligibility requirements. More details about GPACI are available on the DoHAC website or by calling 132 150 and selecting option 2. Note: offer to transfer the caller to the GP ACI section. Advise the caller to select option 2 and cold transfer the call to 132 150.
4	Question: I received a letter and have updated my baking details after the PIP GP ACAI ceased. When will I receive my payment? Answer: Thank you for contacting Services Australia. Held PIP GP ACAI payments may be released in November 2024, February 2025 and May 2025 where we have valid bank account details. Note: Service Officer to confirm the correct bank details are recorded for the GP. If not, guide the GP on how to manage this in HPOS or send an IP011.
5	Question: I think I am owned a PIP GP ACAI payment, but I did not receive a letter. My bank details have been updated. Answer: Service Officer to obtain the GPs details and check the following: GP ACAI Held and Failed payments report Failed EFT payments report GP ACAI calculation report If the GP is not listed on the reports, escalate to Program Management via LPS. The escalation must include the GP name, provider number and contact details. Advise the GP their enquiry is being escalated.

FAQs – for staff

Table 2

Category title	Description
1	Question: When will the final PIP GP ACAI payment run occur? Answer: The last calculated payment was made in August 2024. The PIP GP ACAI payment will be re-run in: November 2024 February 2025 May 2025 This will pick up GPs: withheld payments and who have updated their bank details after 1 August 2024, and who meet all other eligibility requirements GPs must update their bank details online before 30 April 2025 or submit the IP011 by 23 April 2025. The final payment run will be in May 2025. Any payments still held by this time will be forfeited.
2	Question: Will all GPs with outstanding payments be contacted about them? Answer: Program Management will try to contact all GPs with: no SIPACAI bank details recorded in PDS returned payments They will be told to update their bank details: through HPOS, or by lodging a General Practitioner Aged Care Access Incentive Payment banking details (IP011) form Initial communication will be in writing. It will: go to the providers preferred mailing address in PDS, and include an IP011 Note: GPs whose PIP GP ACAI payments are held due to practice payments being on hold will not be contacted.
3	Question: If a PIP GP ACAI payment is held due to a PIP payment hold, will the payment be released if the PIP hold is removed before 30 April 2025? Answer: Yes, the normal process will continue. The system will automatically release ACAI payments held due to a PIP payment hold being removed. This will continue for 3 quarters, until May 2025. Check all held payments, regardless of the reason for it being held.
4	Question: What if a GP has updated their bank details but PIP payments are on hold for the practice. The GP believes they should receive their PIP GP ACAI payment? Answer: The GP can lodge a review of decision using the Practice Incentives - Review of Decision (IP027) form.

Eligible MBS item numbers

Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers eligible for the General Practitioner Aged Care Access Incentive (GP ACAI) are:
232, 249,731,741,763, 772, 789, 903, 5010, 5028, 5049, 5067, 5260, 5263, 5265, 5267, 90020, 90035, 90043, 90051, 90092, 90093, 90095, 90096, 90183, 90188, 90202 and 90212

Claiming these items:

tells Services Australia when the QSL target has been met
automatically triggers a Service Incentive Payment (SIP) in the next payment quarter

QSL targets, payments and enquiries

GP ACAI payments are based on a GP providing a required number of eligible MBS services in residential aged care facilities (RACF) in a financial year. There are 4 payment tiers. Note: the maximum payment a GP can receive in a financial year is $10,000.

Table 3: Qualifying Service Levels (QSL) GP's must provide in Commonwealth-funded RACFs in a financial year to be eligible to receive a SIP.

Tier	Qualifying Service Level (QSL)	Service Incentive Payment (SIP)
Tier 1a	60-99 services	$2,000
Tier 1b	100-139 services	$2,500
Tier 2a	140-179 services	$2,500
Tier 2b	180 or more services	$3,000

If a provider enquires about whether they have met a QSL, escalate the request to Local Peer Support (LPS). Do not ask the provider to send patient information or supporting documents as evidence of their eligible payment tier. Program Management will advise if further information from the practice is required.

Payment codes

Table 4

Payment code	Explanation	Action required
X	ACAI SIP payments are held. If the practice has their payments On Hold this will also hold the ACAI SIP payments.	Payments will remain on hold until the practice’s PIP payments hold is removed. If there are no other issues, the practitioner will receive the held ACAI SIP payments in the next scheduled ACAI SIP quarterly payment run. If the practitioner has any questions, refer them to the Practice Manager for more information (unless the practitioner is an owner or authorised contact person).
N	ACAI SIP payment is calculated but bank details are not registered.	Tell the practitioner to update their banking details in HPOS. If they can not do this in HPOS they must complete a General Practitioner Aged Care Access Incentive Payment banking details form (IP011) Held payments will be released in the first quarter after the provider bank details have been registered for GP ACAI.
P	Payment made.	Tell the practitioner the payment has been made.

Error messages and resolutions

Table 5

Error code	Error text	Resolution
Error.0265	Duplicate banking details have been entered.	Review already registered banking details.
Error.0173	BSB and account number exists with other providers but with a different account name.	Select Save to use new account name as per the form.
Error.0189	Future Start Date must be within the Future Payment Instructions period.	Escalate to Local Peer Support (LPS) via the Incentives Escalation Database.
Information.0166	Providers have been registered with the same banking details.	No further action is required.

Guidelines

Practice Incentives Program (PIP)

Letters and electronic messages

Service Incentive Payment (ACAI SIP) letters

Forms

General Practitioner Aged Care Access Incentive Payment banking details form (IP011)

Contacts