Practice Incentives Program (PIP) - Quality Prescribing Incentive (QPI)
This incentive is intended to assist practices in keeping up to date with information on the quality use of medicines. It rewards participation in a range of activities recognised or provided by the National Prescribing Service (NPS).
The NPS is a professional organisation run independently of Government, which aims to assist general practitioners (GPs) achieve more effective, quality prescribing through a range of education, support and prescribing information. The NPS can be contacted on (02) 8217 8700.
Recognised activities include:
- clinical audits of prescribing specific drug groups using materials approved or produced by the NPS (available to all practices four times a year)
- case studies using problem-based distance learning provided by the NPS (available to all practices six times a year)
- practice visit/s by an independent pharmaceutical detailer working from a number of Divisions of General Practice. These 'academic detailing' visits provide a resource for GPs, and promote quality use of medicines.
Each activity is undertaken on an individual level, and the NPS will provide feedback to the individual GPs. Payment will only be made if the practice meets a minimum participation level, set at an average of three activities per Full Time Equivalent GP (FTE GP) per year. One of these activities must be a clinical audit, while the other two can be any recognised activity.
For example, a practice with one FTE GP would need to participate in three activities, including at least one clinical audit. The doctors in a practice with five FTE GPs would need to participate in at least 15 activities between them, including five clinical audits, to receive payment. Some GPs in the practice may undertake more or less activities, so long as the practice as a whole averages three activities per FTE GP.
As with other PIP payments, the payment will be made to the practice.
This payment is summarised in the following table:
| Element | Activity required for payment | Annual payment per SWPE* |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Prescribing Incentive | On average, the practice participates in three activities (one of which is a clinical audit) per FTE GP, by 30 April each year. | $1.00 |
* The average FTE GP sees 1,000 SWPEs annually.
The NPS may recommend additional activities for inclusion in the QPI and practices will be notified if they are able to choose from additional activities.
To receive a payment under the QPI (paid annually in May) an eligible PIP practice must have completed the number of activities identified in the November statement. The required number of activities is also included in the February, May and August statements as reference.
Medicare Australia will calculate payments using information supplied by the NPS on the number of activities undertaken by each provider. To ensure your practice correctly receives its payment, please ensure each GP notifies the NPS of their provider and prescriber numbers when undertaking an activity.
Last updated: 8 October, 2009