Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream

The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) Practice Stream encourages multidisciplinary and team-based models of care. The program provides financial incentives to general practices to engage a range of health professionals, including:

• Nurses
• Midwives
• Allied health professionals
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners

The Practice Stream provides primary care practices with more flexibility to respond to local community needs and gaps in services.

This includes helping practices to meet the increasingly complex health needs of older people and people living with chronic and complex conditions. It is designed to complement and strengthen existing services, not replace or duplicate them.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the WIP-Practice Stream, practices must be accredited or actively working toward accreditation to ensure quality standards are met.

Updated guidelines for the WIP-Practice Stream were released on 1 October 2024, detailing recent adjustments to the program.

The following changes in the Guidelines should be noted:

• 1.1.1 Enrolled nurses – additional requirements
• 1.1.2 Pharmacists – additional requirements
• 1.2 Determining how to engage an eligible health professional
• 1.5.2 Ineligible activities
• 1.5.3 Medicare Benefits Schedule services
• 3.2 Payment quarters – important dates are listed in Table 1
• 3.3 Quarterly Confirmation Statements (QCS)
• 3.5 Withheld payments for 3 consecutive quarters (three quarter rule)
• 5.6 Ensuring the integrity of the WIP-Practice Stream

Further details, and a copy of the updated guidelines can be found on the Workforce Incentive Program – Practice Stream | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care webpage.

Please ensure you read the updated guidelines as in the event of a Medicare audit, the Guidelines state the following information may be requested:

• Confirmation of details contained in the QCS including evidence of the hours worked by the eligible nurse, midwife, allied health professional, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker or health practitioner – for example, time sheets.

Copies of the evidence should be kept on practice files for a minimum period of 6 years and if a practice cannot provide information to substantiate eligibility and claims for payments, previous WIP – Practice Stream payments, for up to 6 years may be recovered.

Please also note that Practices that employ or engage the services of a nurse practitioner, midwife with an endorsement for scheduled medicines, allied health professional, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker or health practitioner with their own provider number are not eligible to claim WIP – Practice Stream incentives for any time those health professionals spend on the relevant Medicare Benefits Schedule services.

Further information and resources:

• Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream reporting fact sheet – provides guidance on reporting requirements.

• Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream fact sheet – provides information on the WIP payment.

• Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream frequently asked questions

For further questions and support on this program, please contact practicesupport@cesphn.com.au