RACGP warns practices are being shortchanged by govt’s ‘arbitrary’ PIP rule
Telehealth consults shouldn't be ignored by officials when assessing a practice's patient workload, says college president Dr Karen Price
The RACGP has accused the Federal Government of short-changing GP practices by applying “arbitrary” rules to the $350 million PIP scheme with no consultation or warning.
Last month, Australian Doctor revealed that health officials were ignoring millions of patient consults done via telehealth when calculating practices’ patient workloads, defined by Standardised Whole Patient Equivalents (SWPEs).
As a result, PIP payments fell $1.5 million nationally in the May quarter — or an average of $200 per practice.
The Department of Heath said it had made the move because it wanted to encourage face-to-face care and it did not regard telehealth as a “full substitute”.
