Indigenous Health
Gippsland Black Pages
The Gippsland Black Pages has been developed by Central West Gippsland Division of General Practice to document Aboriginal specific health services across Central West Gippsland. It will offer health providers a reference point to enable appropriate referrals for Aboriginal people to assist in providing targeted culturally sensitive care.
Gippsland Black Pages – For providers
Gippsland Black Pages – For community members
Closing The Gap
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience a burden of disease two-and-a-half times that of other Australians. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases are the major diseases contributing to an unacceptable gap in life expectancy. Reducing the burden of chronic disease requires a much greater effort in delivering prevention programs and comprehensive and well-coordinated primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. If closing the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is to be achieved, it is essential that comprehensive and accessible primary healthcare be provided not only by Aboriginal community controlled health services, but also by mainstream health services.
Accredited Indigenous health services and general practices will benefit from new financial incentives, to be delivered through the existing Practice Incentives Program (PIP). These incentives will assist Indigenous health services and general practices to provide their Indigenous clients with proactive follow-up and access to best practice management of chronic conditions. The Central West Division of General Practice will provide assistance and education to health services to implement the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive and the PBS Co-payment Measure.
How can main stream General Practice assist with ‘Closing the Gap’?
- Register with the PIP – Indigenous Health Incentive
- Identify actual and potential Indigenous patients
- Provide targeted and ongoing care to indigenous patients
- Offer PBS assistance to Indigenous patients
The PIP Indigenous Health Incentive:
- This measure will improve the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients aged 15 years and over who have a chronic disease.
- Indigenous Health Services and General Practices will need to register with Medicare Australia to participate in the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive.
- Indigenous health services and general practices will need to register their eligible clients.
- Payments will be available to eligible Indigenous health services and general practices that undertake certain activities to improve the care of Indigenous clients.
The PIP Indigenous Health Incentive has three components:
|
$1000 per practice | One off payment |
|
$250 per eligible patient per year | For each ATSI Patient 15 years and over registered to the practice |
|
Tier 1 $100 per eligible patient per year | When target level of care is provided (GPMP/TCA) |
| Tier 2 $150 per eligible patient per year | When majority of care to patient is provided to patient |
Resources
PIP Indigenous Health Incentive – Practice Registration Form (PDF)
PIP Indigenous Health Incentive – Patient Multiple Regstration Form (PDF)
ATSI Health Incentives (PDF)
Medical Software Templates
| ATSI PIP Patient Consent Template | (RTF) | Medical Director | Best Practice |
| ATSI PIP Patient Registration Template | (RTF) | Medical Director | Best Practice |
| ATSI PIP Patient Withdrawal Template | (RTF) | Medical Director | Best Practice |
| Child health check: 1 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Child health check: 2 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Child health check: 3 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Child health check: 4 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Child health check: 5-8 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Child health check: 9-14 year old | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 15-19 year old female | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 15-19 year old male | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 20-54 year old female | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 20-54 year old male | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 55+ female | (PDF) | ||
| Adult health check: 55+ male | (PDF) |
Genie
To be released
Access to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Co-payment Measure
General practices participating in the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive, and all non-remote Indigenous health services, will be able to register Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients for assistance with the cost of PBS medicines. This initiative will allow many more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia, particularly those in metropolitan and regional centres, to access cheap – and in some instances free – PBS medicines.
- This measure will be available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients attending Indigenous health services as well as general practices participating in the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive. Assistance will be targeted to those with chronic disease risk factors or established chronic disease.
- Clients will need to be registered with their Indigenous health service or general practice.
- GP’s will need to annotate registered client’s prescriptions with a Closing the Gap (CTG) Flag, either electronically or manually. The annotations will be included in updates of prescription writing software. If written by hand all that needs to appear on the prescription is CTG (Closing the Gap) and the GP’s signature.
- Client’s prescriptions will be processed in the usual way. Clients who would normally pay full price will pay the concessional rate per prescription.
- Clients who would normally pay the concessional rate will receive their medication free of charge.
Mandatory patient premiums for some brands of medicines still apply.
Resources
Allied Health Medicare Claiming Calculator
Allied Health Referral Item Numbers (PDF)
Indigenous Health – Gippsland
Central West Gippsland Division of General Practice actively participates and hosts events and programs to increase awareness and encourage Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders to seek healthcare treatment and advice.
Indigenous Pit Stop – NAIDOC Week 2011
The Division in association with local Indigenous services and healthcare providers organised a ‘Pit Stop’ event. The program was designed to be a mobile service that could target male dominated areas and events, providing a quick health check up in a masculine and welcoming environment. The program is based on a mechanical theme encouraging participants to look after their body in much the same way they might look after their cars.
Participants can put themselves ‘over the pits’ to see if their body is in roadworthy condition or requires follow-up maintenance. It is not a medical intervention, but an engagement tool to encourage people to take better care of themselves.
Advice was sought from Neville Bartlett, an Aboriginal Health Worker from Western Australia who held an Aboriginal specific Pit Stop last year. Local service providers and Aboriginal Community input was also sought.
This resulted in staffing for the NAIDOC Pit Stop involving at least one local Aboriginal health professional on each station, the Aboriginal flag being highly visible, and red, yellow and black as a dominant colour theme throughout (eg. on brochure, Pit Stop uniform and participants work order).
The event aims to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to adopt healthy lifestyle choices around:
- Giving up smoking,
- Eating healthy food,
- Getting regular moderate exercise, and
- Having regular health checks.
Click here for the event link on Department of Health and Ageing website
Resources
Closing the Gap – Tackling Chronic Disease Booklet (PDF)
National guide to a preventative health assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (PDF)
Summary of Adult Health Recommendations (PDF)
Summary of Child Health Recommendations (PDF)
Lifescripts: Advice for Healthy Living (PDF)
