Workforce Incentive Program

Workforce Incentive Program (WIP)​

The WIP consists of 3 incentive streams:

• The Practice stream, which pays incentives to practices to support multidisciplinary team-based care by engaging a range of health professionals.
• The Doctor Stream, which pays incentives directly to doctors providing primary care in Modified Monash (MM) 3-7 locations.
• The Rural Advanced Skill payment which will pay doctors directly to provide both primary care and emergency and/or advanced skills in  MM3-7 locations.

The WIP – Practice Stream replaced the Practice Nurse Incentive Program (PNIP) in early 2020.

The WIP – Doctor Stream replaced the General Practice Incentive Program (GPRIP) in January 2020.

Resources and eLearning

• Workforce Incentive Program (Fact sheet) 
• Workforce Incentive Program (Guidelines)
• Workforce Incentive Program (eLearning) 

Applying for the WIP 

Applications for the WIP program is specific to each stream:

• WIP - Practice Stream - Applications can be done online through PRODA and HPOS or using a form.​
• WIP - Doctor Stream - No application is required for the Central Payment System. Applications under the Flexible Payment System require an FPS application form.
• WIP - Rural Advanced Skills - Each stream within the Rural Advanced Skills requires a seperate application.

WIP Practice Stream 

Incentive to support general practices to provide their patients with appropriate access to after hours care.

The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) Practice Stream aims to build a sustainable and high-quality health workforce, particularly in rural and remote areas.

The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) Practice Stream includes the following incentives:

• quarterly incentive payments to engage eligible health professionals
• rural loading of up to 60%
• annual loading for practices providing general practitioner services to Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Gold Card holders.

The amount a practice gets depends on the:

• practice size, measured in Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE)
• type of eligible health professionals
• average hours eligible health professionals work each week
• type of practice and its location.

Resources and eLearning

• Workforce Incentive Program (eLearning) 
• Workforce Incentive program - Practice Stream (WIP-PS) (fact sheet)
• Workforce Incentive Program - Practice Stream (WIP-PS) (frequently asked questions)
• Practice Stream Obligations (website)
• Workforce Incentive Practice Stream (eLearning)
• WIP-PS Quarterly Confirmation Statement (guide)

WIP Doctor Stream 

The WIP Doctor Stream aims to encourage doctors to practise in regional rural and remote communities. It also promotes careers in rural medicine by providing financial incentives.

For doctors to receive incentive payments, they must provide eligible services in eligible locations. The locations are determined using the Modified Monash Model (MM 2019) geographical classification system. The Health Workforce Locator can be used to check the classification of any location in Australia.

It is important to keep patients and the practice team safe from infection. Infection prevention and control reduces the risk of infection travelling from patient to patient, or from patient to members of the practice team. (RACGP Standards for General Practice - Criterion GP4)
 

Resources and eLearning

• WIP Doctor Stream (Guidelines)
• Changes to WIP-Doctor Stream for non VR doctors (Factsheet) 
• Flexible payment system application form (link)

WIP Rural Advanced Skills Stream 

WIP Rural Advanced Skills is a new Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) payment for GPs and Rural Generalists with advanced skills working in regional, rural and remote communities. Payments will commence from 1 January 2024, recognising services delivered during 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The WIP Rural Advanced Skills program recognises that doctors working in regional, rural and remote areas are often required to use additional advanced skills (procedural and non-procedural) to meet the health care needs of their communities. The program consists of two seperate payment streams: 

Stream 1: Emergency Medicine – for doctors providing a minimum level of emergency care and emergency after hours services (in eligible locations).
Stream 2: Advanced Skills – for doctors who hold recognised qualifications in advanced skills (such as obstetrics, anaesthetics, surgery, mental health and/or First Nations Health) and provide a minimum level of service using these skills.
 

Resources and eLearning

• WIP Rural Advanced Skills (Guidelines)
• WIP Rural Advanced Skills (Webinar) 
• WIP Rural Advanced Skills (Frequently asked questions)
• WIP Rural Advanced Skills (Factsheet)