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PIP QI – Improving opioid management and reducing risk
What is PIP QI?
The Australian Government’s new Practice Incentives Program – Quality Improvement (PIP QI) came into effect on 1 August 2019. The PIP QI Incentive rewards practices for participating in continuous quality improvement activities in partnership with their local PHN.
What are the eligibility requirements?
To be eligible to receive a PIP QI payment general practices must work with their local Primary Health Network (PHN) to:
- register for PIP QI,
- provide the PIP Eligible Data Set (10 Improvement Measures) to your PHN, and
- undertake continuous quality improvement activities in partnership with your local Primary Health Network (PHN).
Practices may focus their quality improvement activities on the ten improvement areas mentioned above, or they may choose to focus on areas that have been informed by their clinical information system data and meet the needs of their practice population. Improving opioid management in a practice population is one such example.
PIP QI and Opioid Stewardship
Your local PHN is able to assist practices who wish to carry out a quality improvement activity addressing opioid stewardship in your practice. Western Victoria PHN (WVPHN) has developed a Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle entitled “Improving Opioid Management and Reducing Risk”.
The PDSA cycle aims to reduce risk to patients, practitioners and the practice by performing medication reviews on patients at risk of opioid-related harms. The PDSA details the steps to identifying at-risk patients, education and supports available to prescribing clinicians, and practical methods to reduce risk. Information is provided to support GPs to taper opioid doses or commence opioid replacement therapy (ORT) where appropriate. Your local PHN practice support team will assist you to undertake the quality improvement activities in your practice. The template can be found under the list of ‘Sample PDSAs’ on the WVPHN website.
More information
Primary Health Networks (PHN)
PHN map locator
Contact details for all PHNs
Victorian Government resources
Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) fact sheets & guidelines
Australian Government resources
PIP QI Guidelines
PIP QI FAQs
PIPS Website
Email: pip@humanservices.gov.au
Telephone: 1800 222 032
Katrina Martin is Practice Facilitator at Western Victoria Primary Health Network.
The Pharmacotherapy Area-Based Networks
The Pharmacotherapy Area-Based Networks (PABN) are a Victorian Government initiative to provide opioid pharmacotherapy support for primary care medical practitioners and pharmacists across the state of Victoria including metropolitan, regional and rural areas.
Each PABN provides connections between primary health care, hospitals and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services to create a more cohesive and strengthened pharmacotherapy service system.
What is pharmacotherapy?
Pharmacotherapy is Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD). It includes treatments such as methadone and buprenorphine (Subutex®, Suboxone®). Pharmacotherapy is also known as Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT), and Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST). In Victoria, most pharmacotherapy is provided via a community model, mainly via General Practitioner (GP) and pharmacist service providers. Additional services may be provided by nurse practitioners, community health organisations and specialist nurses and AOD workers.
Your local PABN provides local support
There are two metropolitan and three regional PABNs. Each PABN is structured to meet local need and includes highly qualified management and specialist teams such as GPs, Addiction Medicine Specialists (AMS), Clinical and AOD nurses, and pharmacists. These teams recognise the diverse needs of practitioners and patients, and provide innovative and flexible approaches to meeting local needs. See our About page and the contact details for your local PABN.
Victorian Opioid Management Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) is a PABN program providing specialist no-cost opioid education for all Victorian health practitioners.
