In reply: We thank Bailie and colleagues1 for highlighting the experiences of enrolling Indigenous Australians as part of the Practice Incentives Program – Indigenous Health Incentive (PIP‐IHI) initiative. The evaluation of the PIP‐IHI suggests that incentives linking practice enrolment with reduced patient medication costs were successful in engaging patients with the program, but that engagement with individual clinicians was less successful.2 Potential explanations for this disparate engagement include an enrolment process linking patients with practices (as opposed to their individual general practitioner), which may have failed to motivate clinician involvement, and financial incentives within the PIP‐IHI favouring the process of registration over the provision of ongoing care.
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- 1. Bailie J, Laycock A, Bailie RS. Introducing general practice enrolment in Australia: the devil is in the detail [letter]. Med J Aust 2022; 216: 158–159.
- 2. Bailie R, Griffin J, Kelaher M, et al; Sentinel Sites Evaluation: final report; 2013. https://www.menzies.edu.au/icms_docs/189996_Sentinel_Sites_Evaluation_Final_Report.pdf (viewed July 2021).
- 3. Primary Health Reform Steering Group. Recommendations on the Australian Government’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan; 2021. https://consultations.health.gov.au/primary‐care‐mental‐health‐division/draft‐primary‐health‐care‐10‐year‐plan/supporting_documents/Primary%20Health%20Reform%20Steering%20Group%20%20Recommendations%20September%202021.pdf (viewed July 2021).
- 4. Primary Health Reform Steering Group. Discussion paper to inform the development of the Primary Health Reform Steering Group recommendations on the Australian Government’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/draft‐recommendations‐from‐the‐primary‐health‐reform‐steering‐group (viewed July 2021).
- 5. Department of Health. Budget 2021–22: generational change and record investment in the health of Australians. https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the‐hon‐greg‐hunt‐mp/media/budget‐2021‐22‐generational‐change‐and‐record‐investment‐in‐the‐health‐of‐australians (viewed July 2021).
- 6. Wright M, Versteeg R. Introducing general practice enrolment in Australia: the devil is in the detail. Med J Aust 2021; 214: 400–402. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/9/introducing‐general‐practice‐enrolment‐australia‐devil‐detail
- 7. Health Policy Analysis. Evaluation of the Health Care Homes program — interim evaluation report 2020; volume 1: summary report; 2020. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/AD51EBE397452EF5CA2580F700164BAD/$File/HCH%20Interim%20eval%20report%202020%20Vol%201%20Summary%20report%20(Final.pdf (viewed July 2021).
Michael Wright chairs the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Expert Committee on Funding and Health System Reform, chairs the Board of the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network, is the Chief Medical Officer for Avant Mutual, was a member of the Primary Health Care Advisory Group and has advisory roles with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Roald Versteeg is employed by the RACGP.