Practice Connect #254

Subject to the passage of legislation, the Medicare 3 Year Old Healthy Kids Check is planned to commence on 1 November 2026. The new service forms part of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s Thriving Kids initiative and aims to identify developmental needs earlier and connect children and families with appropriate support.

General practice will be an important and accessible point of care, supporting families through early assessment, advice, monitoring and referral where required.

What is changing?

From 1 November 2026, general practitioners (GPs) and prescribed medical practitioners will be able to use time-tiered health assessment items 701–707 and 224–227 to deliver the Medicare Healthy Kids Check. The service will be available once per eligible child in their lifetime.

The check will assess a child’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and development. It will help identify children who may benefit from:

• Monitoring or intervention in primary care
• Referral to appropriate services, including Thriving Kids supports
• Further assessment, when required

What can practices do now?

While further implementation details are expected, practices can begin preparing by:

• Reviewing recall and reminder systems
• Identifying children approaching their third birthday
• Planning how GPs and practice nurses will work together
• Briefing the practice team about the new check
• Monitoring MBS Online for final implementation guidance

Early preparation will help practices support families to access the right care at the right time.

Resources

• MBS Online Medicare Healthy Kids Check fact sheet: MBS Online Medicare Healthy Kids Check
• Australian Journal of General Practice: A guide to the 3-year-old health check for general practice

Further support

For support, contact Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

General practices currently registered for the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive (GPACI) should be aware that the current accreditation exemption for eligible non-accredited practices will end on 31 December 2026.

The exemption was introduced to support non-traditional practices, including some sole providers and mobile or outreach services delivering care in residential aged care, rural and remote communities, disability residential settings, and other priority populations. Under the GPACI Program Guidelines, practices, providers and patients must be registered with MyMedicare to participate in GPACI, with accreditation remaining a core requirement under the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme. For more information, visit Accreditation for general practice.

Practices currently relying on the exemption are encouraged to review their accreditation status and plan ahead to continue to be eligible for MyMedicare and GPACI beyond 31 December 2026.

For more information or support, contact Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

Bulk Billing and MyMedicare

MyMedicare and Bulk billing – what practices need to know MyMedicare is designed to enhance the care patients already receive. Registration helps strengthen the relationship with their preferred GP or practice and may open access to new or expanded services over time MyMedicare registration supports better continuity of care, and patients can still access bulk billing as usual, with no changes to the practice’s billing approach Bulk billing continues to be guided by the GP’s or practice’s usual clinical and business approach, so patients can expect the same level of access and support they already experience. MyMedicare simply adds extra benefits on top of existing care The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) Practices participating in BBPIP receive an additional 12.5% incentive payment on every $1 of the MBS benefits paid from eligible services, split evenly (50/50) between the GP and the practice Participating practices must bulk bill every eligible MBS service for all their Medicare-eligible patients to receive the incentive payment. The full list of BBPIP eligible MBS services is available on the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) website Eligible MBS services include the most common GP services such as time-tiered consultation items, health assessments, mental health treatment items and chronic condition management items The BBPIP incentive payment is in addition to MBS benefits paid, and MBS Bulk Billing Incentives are paid independently of the BBPIP incentive payments Practices participating in BBPIP must promote their participation by: Registering as a fully bulk billing practice in healthdirect Australia’s National Health Services Directory (NHSD) Displaying Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage on-site Resources View the DHDA website for BBPIP and  MyMedicare Program information View the DHDA BBPIP website for eligible services Register or update details for the BBPIP via the healthdirect National Health Services Directory

“It’s time to talk about dementia” is the theme of this year’s Dementia Action Week from 21 to 27 September. While some cases of dementia cannot be avoided, up to 45% of cases globally could be delayed or prevented by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors.

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website has links to dementia risk reduction resources, including a personalised dementia risk reduction tool called CogDrisk, and resources for health professionals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and multicultural communities.

Free, confidential support is also available through Dementia Australia via the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

GPs, nurses and other health professionals can also access free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) dementia training and education through Dementia Training Australia.

The care finders program provides free, intensive, face-to-face support to help eligible older people access aged care services and connect with other community supports. Care finders can assist with older people to engage with My Aged Care, arranging assessments, attending appointments, identifying suitable service providers, understanding service agreements, and linking people with health, housing, mental health and other community services.

For GPs, care finders offer a practical referral option for patients who may be at risk of missing out on support due to complex circumstances or limited informal support. By working alongside primary care, care finders help to ensure underserved older people can access the services they need to remain safe, connected and supported in their community.

To learn more about eligibility and how the program works, watch the care finders overview video: Care finders – supporting older patients with complex needs to access services.

To locate a care finder service in your area, visit the My Aged Care directory: Help from a care finder.

For eligible patients who need additional support to navigate aged care, a care finder referral can provide meaningful assistance.

Australia’s population is ageing. More than one in three general practice encounters are with people aged 65 years and over. Older adults often have complex health needs, making regular health and functional assessments important for identifying unmet needs and enabling early intervention. General practice teams play a crucial role in supporting older adults to maintain their health and independence as they age.

A key goal for patients, practices and the broader health system is to prevent or delay functional decline, which can reduce quality of life and increase healthcare costs. Through continuity of care, primary care is well placed to recognise risk factors and early signs of frailty and functional decline.

Guidance on frailty assessment, management and referral advice for older adults is available through Clinician Assist WA Health and Frailty Assessment for Older Adults pathway.

Using Primary Sense to identify patients for review

Practices with access to Primary Sense can use the Frailty Care Management report, available through the Primary Sense desktop application. The report identifies patients with frailty indicators who may require review or confirmation of their frailty status. Practices can select a cohort of patients for review using any of the frailty indicators and apply their usual recall processes for the selected patients.

Quality improvement activity

Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA): Identifying and recalling this patient cohort provides a practical opportunity for a quality improvement activity. Practice teams can adapt a PDSA template to guide the process.

Access the PDSA here.

Further resources

1. RACGP – Older persons’ health
2. Improving the delivery of primary care for older people – PMC
3. RACGP – Frailty

Access previous webinar recordings

Missed a previous webinar? Watch the recordings on the QI Channel: Quality improvement series – YouTube.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) released the Standards for general practices (6th edition) on 26 August 2026.

The 6th edition introduces important updates for general practices and provides an opportunity to review current systems, identify gaps and prepare for future transition requirements.

The updated Standards reflect contemporary general practice, with a stronger focus on governance, digital health, patient participation, continuous quality improvement (CQI), artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability.

Access the 6th edition here.

What’s new in the 6th edition?

Key updates include:

• Four core standards and an optional point-of-care testing standard
• Strengthened governance, planning, risk management, privacy and digital security requirements
• New focus areas including artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability and climate resilience
• Greater emphasis on patient participation, CQI, staff wellbeing and clinical risk management

Resources:

• Standards 6th Edition Hub
• Mapping of the Standards for general practices – 6th edition to 5th edition

Start preparing now:

1. Review the RACGP 6th edition Standards and mapping resource to understand the key changes
2. Check policies, processes, CQI activities, digital health and risk management systems
3. Plan next steps with your team and seek guidance as needed

Accreditation transition to the 6th edition

Accreditation currently continues against the 5th edition while transition arrangements are finalised. Practices can start reviewing the 6th edition and considering any updates needed to existing systems, policies and quality improvement activities.

Further transition information will be communicated by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Further support

For support, contact Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

Take part in a national consultation on how mental health services and supports should be evaluated for public funding in Australia as part of the project with “Value in Mind: Assessing the Economic Value of Mental Health Services and Supports in Australia” (Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee project ID 53282).

The project, led by Monash University and commissioned by the National Mental Health Commission, aims to support decision-makers to make evidence-based mental health investment decisions.

As part of the first stage of this work, a set of criteria is being developed that will be used to assess the value of mental health services and supports in Australia. Your input well help inform the development of this criteria list.

They are seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to contribute, including people with lived and living experience of mental health services as consumers and/or carers, clinicians and service providers, policymakers and planners, researchers, and anyone with an interest in mental health services in Australia.

About the survey:

In this survey, they are seeking your views on:

• which criteria should be included when assessing the value of mental health services
• how important each criterion is
• how each criterion should be defined and measured

The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and can be done online at a time that suits you.

The survey will be open until 27 September 2026 at 11:59pm (AEST).

Complete the survey here.