Practices are competing to register patients for the Indigenous Health Incentive to reap the annual sign-up payments without providing long-term care, the RACGP says.

At least 1500 practices currently receive $250 a year for each Indigenous patient with a chronic disease who completes the annual registration paperwork and receives, or is offered, an Aboriginal health check.

Practices can also receive a $100 ‘tier 1 payment’ if they prepare and review a GP management plan and a $150 ‘tier 2 payment’ if they provide the majority of MBS-funded services to that patient in a year.

The RACGP says funding needs to be moved from the registration component to the tiered payments “to reduce some of the competitiveness amongst health services to sign up patients”.