Practice Connect #241

Since launching on 1 November 2025, the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) has seen strong engagement, with more than 3,400 practices registering to date.

New MBS Items for Patient End Support (PES)

From 1 March 2026, new MBS items for Patient End Support (PES) services were introduced.

These items enable GPs and prescribed medical practitioners to provide face-to-face support to a patient during a video consultation with a specialist.  The new PES items are classified as GP Non-Referred Attendances (GP NRA) services and must be bulk billed by Practices participating in the BBPIP.

For more information about the items, visit MBS Online – Patient End Support services and for a full list of BBPIP eligible services, visit Bulk billing incentives in general practice.

Promoting your bulk billing status

A reminder that practices participating in BBPIP are required to meet specific advertising requirements to help patients easily identify bulk billing services in their area.

To remain eligible, practices must:

• Register as a fully bulk billing practice in healthdirect Australia’s National Health Services Directory (NHSD). Find information here about how to register on NHSD.
• Display Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage on-site (some practices, including those without a physical location, are not required to do this).
• Access the factsheet for BBPIP healthdirect and signage requirements here.

For more information, and to order Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage, visit Bulk billing incentives in general practice.

Impact of the BBPIP

Participation in BBPIP is making a measurable difference.

National bulk billing rates increased to 81.4% between November 2025 and January 2026, representing a 4.3 percentage point rise compared to the same period the previous year.  This is the largest year on year quarterly increase in bulk billing in 20 years, outside of the COVID pandemic period.

For further details, refer to the National GP Bulk Billing Snapshot – 1 November 2025 to 31 January 2026.

For further information, contact Practice Assist or your Primary Care Navigator on 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

As Western Australia prepares for the winter period ahead, the WA Government has rolled out a comprehensive new long term public-facing health access campaign to ensure the community can continue to access safe, timely, and appropriate health care during the highest-demand months.

The Access Health WA campaign aims to strengthen the WA health system and support the community, by increasing public awareness and understanding of the range of health services available in WA, including:

• Emergency departments
• Urgent care clinics
• General practitioners
• Pharmacists
• 1800MEDICARE
• WA Virtual Emergency Department

Designed to help Western Australians to confidently navigate the health sector, Access Health WA empowers people to make the right healthcare choices, understand alternatives to the emergency department, promote early and appropriate care seeking.

The Access Health WA platform reflects community needs and will allow people to search for credible information from trusted and reliable sources, that will support them to make informed decisions.

The new campaign highlights a significant commitment to the health and wellbeing of Western Australians and plays an essential role in delivering quality health care across the state.

Over time, Access Health WA aims to standardise and simplify guidance for the community and reduce the burden on stakeholders to explain the differences between health services.

Access Health WA makes it easier to know Where to go when.

For more information visit Access Health WA.

In celebration of Advance Care Planning Week (ACP), WA Primary Health Alliance  (WAPHA) is proud to highlight one of our Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care initiatives.

In partnership with Linkwest, we’re empowering communities with increased confidence and knowledge around end-of-life planning. Supporting people to plan ahead so they can be cared for with dignity and have their wishes respected at the end of life.

Last year over 1,100 people received information to support them to make informed decisions about advance care planning.

Across WA, 41 Community Resource Centres now have trained staff and volunteers helping their communities access end-of-life resources and specialist support.

From in-person and online workshops with Palliative Care WA, to National Palliative Care Week events in Pingelly and Karratha, our collaboration is building safer, supported spaces for communities across WA.

Many centres are also bringing together local stakeholders including GPs, nurses, hospital staff, funeral services and more to strengthen community access to care and increase advance care planning literacy.

For more information, visit the Practice Assist Advance Care Planning Tool Kit designed to assist general practices.

You can also read about supporting patients who wish to die at home in the January edition of GP Connect.

National Advance Care Planning (ACP) Week provides an opportunity to empower patients to think, talk, write and share about the care they would want if they were unable to speak for themselves.

This year’s theme is Your Story, Your Choice which encourages people to share their story, express their values and make choices that reflect what matters to them.

Why ACP matters: 

• Decisions made are guided by a person’s beliefs, values, needs and preferences.
• Reduces unplanned hospitalisations and unwanted interventions.
• Decreases the length of stay in hospital in the last 12 months of life.
• Reduces stress, anxiety and depression in surviving relatives.
• Supports comprehensive proactive patient centred care.

Who to prioritise for ACP discussions:

ACP in general practice is best approached proactively with ACP discussions incorporated into routine care.

ACP should be prioritised:

• When completing >75+ Health Assessments and Indigenous Health Assessments.
• When dementia or cognitive decline is suspected.
• For patients with a life-limiting chronic condition.
• For patients with a terminal illness.

How you can support National ACP Week:

• Download and share ACP resources from Advance Care Planning Australia.
• Promote ACP Week 2026 through your communication channels.
• Schedule ACP conversations about future healthcare choices as part of routine health assessments and chronic condition management.
• Ensure ACP information and documentation is WA compliant.
• Promote and/or facilitate the uploading of completed ACP documents to My Health Record – Uploading an ACP document to BP Premier and My Health Record.

Further ACP information:

• Practice Assist ACP Toolkit.
• Clinician Assist WA – ACP Pathway.
• Primary Sense – Palliative Care Report.
• WA Department of Health – National ACP Week webinar.
• Palliative Care WA webinar – My Future Care – An introduction to ACP – National ACP Week.
• Cancer Council WA/PaSCE webinar – Advance Care Planning- Residential Goals In Aged Care.
• Palliative Care WA ACP support service (Advance Care Planning Support Service – Palliative Care WA).
• Advance Care Planning Australia – Values and Preferences statement for a person with impaired decision-making capacity (Person-with-insufficient-decision-making-capacity).

Vaccines from manufacturer GSK which are composed of a syringe and a vial may have different expiration dates that are potentially causing confusion.

These products are manufactured separately, and syringes and vials with different expiry dates are often packaged together. This has been identified with GSK vaccines previously, and more recently, with Infanrix Hexa.

In instances where a vaccine requiring reconstitution comes with several components:

1. Please note that the batch number on the box and the syringe or vial may be different.
2. Please refer to the expiry date and batch number on the box when recording vaccination data into the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), this is the correct detail for the product. Do not use the batch number on the vial or syringe.
3. Please store all immunisations in their original packaging with the packaging closed until the time of vaccine administration to avoid confusion.

See Vaccine Updates 477 and 478 for further information.

Presented by WA Department of Health and RACGP
31 March (7pm to 8pm AWST) 

In partnership with the WA Department of Health, RACGP is hosting an upcoming webinar for GPs focused on winter preparedness for general practice. The session will explore what to expect this flu season, including updates on influenza, FluMist, RSV and key information on timing and eligibility for immunisation programs.

Speaker: Professor Paul Effler, Senior Medical Advisor, Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health Western Australia.

More information and register here.

Presented by Department of Health Communicable Disease Control Directorate Immunisation Program
1 April (9.30am to 12pm AWST) Department of Health Theatrette, or online via MS Teams

The Department of Health Communicable Disease Control Directorate Immunisation Program invites WA immunisation providers to attend the 2026 WA Health Influenza Update.

If you have already registered, you do not need to register again. If you haven’t already registered, please register by clicking on the link below.

The session will be recorded and circulated post event.

Registration flyer link here.