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Primary health care services and projects

This section covers projects that the Ministry's primary health care delivery team is engaged with, and services delivered through primary health organisations.

In this section

  • Capitation funding
    The capitation based payment system is based on the enrolled PHO population. PHOs and their general practices are paid according to the number of people enrolled, not the number of times a provider sees patients. Read more
  • Capitation rates
    Capitation rates from 1 July 2011. All rates exclude GST and are annualised amounts. Read more
  • Care Plus
    Care Plus is a primary health care initiative targeting people with high health need due to chronic conditions, acute medical or mental health needs, or terminal illness. Read more
  • Community Services Card
    The purpose of the Community Services Card is to reduce the amount families on low to modest incomes pay for some health services and prescriptions. Read more
  • First Contact (General Practice Services)
    General Medical Service (GMS) subsidies are only available for a consultation with a doctor (not a nurse), and are paid at a standard rate regardless of the type or the timing of the service. Read more
  • Health promotion for primary health care
    Health promotion is an important aspect of implementing the Primary Health Care Strategy and contributes to a population-based health approach in primary care. Primary health organisations (PHOs) are funded to develop health promotion programmes for their enrolled populations. Read more
  • High Use Health Card
    The High Use Health Card offers the same benefits of a Community Services Card for GP visits and prescription charges. The card may entitle the card holder to reduced prescription fees from the pharmacy and/or cost reduction when visiting the GP. Read more
  • PHO performance programme
    The PHO Performance Programme aims to improve the health of enrolled populations and reduce disparities in health outcomes through supporting clinical governance and continuous quality improvement processes within PHOs. Read more
  • Pharmaceutical co-payments
    Everyone who is eligible for publicly funded health services should in most circumstances pay only $3 for subsidised medicines. Prescriptions from the following providers are approved for $3 co-payments on subsidised medicines if they meet the criteria. Read more
  • Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card
    The Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card allows the cardholder and named family members to pay a lower amount on government prescription charges. The purpose of the card is to help people who face high prescription costs but who do not have a Community Services Card or a High Use Health card. Read more
  • Primary mental health
    As part of their annual business plans, primary health organisation (PHOs) must specify how they aim to improve the mental health outcomes for their enrolled populations. Read more
  • Rural health and primary health care
    Funding for rural premiums supports the retention and recruitment of the rural primary health care workforce Read more
  • Services to improve access
    Services to Improve Access (SIA) funding is available for all primary health organisation to reduce inequalities among those populations that are known to have the worst health status. Read more
  • Very Low Cost Access payments
    The Very Low Cost Access payment is a way to support primary health organisations and their practices that have forgone revenue from patient fees in order to deliver on Very Low Cost Access to primary health care, and reduce health inequalities. Read more
  • Zero Fees for Under 6s
    An additional payment is available to practices that commit each quarter to providing free standard consultations to children under six. It is a voluntary opt on (and opt off) scheme similar to the Very Low Cost Access initiative. Read more