Get on board — apply to become a Health Care Home

General practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in selected regions around Australia can now apply to become Health Care Homes. 

Health Care Homes will improve the provision of care for people with chronic and complex conditions in Australia’s primary health care system.  General practices and ACCHS participating in this first stage of implementation will have a vital role in shaping the future roll-out of this important reform.  

The ten selected regions are Perth North; Northern Territory; Adelaide; Country South Australia; Brisbane North; Western Sydney; Nepean Blue Mountains; Hunter, New England and Central Coast; South Eastern Melbourne; and Tasmania

What are the benefits in becoming a Health Care Home? 

The Health Care Homes model will provide flexibility to shape care around each patient’s needs. 

By moving to a bundled payments model, Health Care Homes will remunerate practices for the value rather than the volume of care provided. 

It also allows for team-based care, giving GPs greater flexibility and drawing on the skills of all the health professionals involved in the primary care of people living with chronic and complex conditions.  

Health Care Homes…. team-based care and greater flexibility. 

How do I apply? 

The Health Care Homes approach to market (ATM) opened on 4 November and closes Thursday 15 December at 2pm eastern daylight time. 

Interested general practices and ACCHS can apply by filling in an application form. Click here for more information on Health Care Homes 

When will the selected Health Care Homes be announced?  

In early 2017.

Our practice is not in one of the ten selected regions? Can we still apply to become a Health Care Home? 

Only practices in the ten selected regions are eligible to apply for stage one in 2016.

Benefits for consumers

Health Care Homes will provide patients with a home base – a general practice or ACCHS – through which their chronic and complex conditions are managed.  

While each Health Care Home will be different depending on the region and community in which it is based, all Health Care Homes will be based on the medical home model. The benefits of this model for consumers include: 

• Patient-centred care based around the patient’s needs and preferences.
• Improved coordination of services, including links with hospitals, allied health and community care providers.
• Improved personalised care through a more formal link with the patient-nominated clinician (usually a GP) leading the care team developing and delivering their tailored care.
• Improved access to services, including remote support that may include phone, email or video conference where clinically appropriate.
• A long-term approach to disease prevention and health promotion to improve health outcomes.

Similar models have already been successfully adopted in the United States of America and New Zealand. Many excellent primary care practices in Australia are also already applying the key principles of Health Care Homes.

Engaging with the sector

The Department of Health is meeting regularly with organisations representing doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, consumers and Primary Health Networks (PHNs) about the implementation of the Health Care Homes model. 

The Implementation Advisory Group (IAG) has now met twice and each of the four working groups established under it have also met. Further meetings are planned for the final quarter of the year. 
Representatives from the Indigenous health sector met with the Department on October 18, discussing support for ACCHS to apply for stage one of Health Care Homes. 

Representatives from the 31 PHNs discussed the role of PHNs in rolling out stage one of the Health Care Homes model, in an October 20 meeting in Canberra. 

Information about a series of upcoming Health Care Homes webinars will be available soon. 
For more information on the advisory structure or upcoming meetings, contact PHC.Secretariat@health.gov.au