Practice reflections
Practice Reflections help general practitioners reflect on their clinical activities and find opportunities to improve.
What are Practice Reflections?
Practice Reflections are personalised and confidential reports sent directly to general practitioners about their prescribing, diagnostic testing and referral rates in specific clinical areas.
The intention of Practice Reflections is to provide general practitioners an opportunity to reflect on their own clinical activities and find opportunities for improvement and professional development.
Practice Reflections reports include:
- background information around the clinical area of focus
- dispensing data for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines or claims data for Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) tests, along with changes over time
- aggregated data to compare with other general practitioners working in similar practices across Australia, and
- evidence based resources and points of reflection to support self-reported continuing professional development activity.
The first Practice Reflections reports were distributed to general practitioners by post in November 2025 and focus on office-based spirometry tests and the use of spirometry in diagnosing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Using Practice Reflections reports
If you received a Practice Reflections report on COPD, our general practitioner guide can be used to interpret the information provided in your report.
You can also view an example of a Practice Reflections report if you did not receive your own.
How Practice Reflections reports are determined
Practice Reflections reports are evidence based and designed to address areas where improvements in safety and quality can be made.
The rationale behind our first Practice Reflections report is based on findings in our Atlas Focus Report, which showed a 68% drop in rates of office-based spirometry nationally between 2015–16 and 2022–23.
Our Practice Reflections reports are aligned with our clinical care standard on COPD, insights provided through MedicineInsight, and advice shared in our COPD Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I receiving a Practice Reflections report?
Practice Reflections report support your quality improvement activities.
All general practitioners across Australia receive Practice Reflections report, except those who have less than 160 Category 1 (professional attendance) services during the previous April to June period.
Your Practice Reflections report is mailed to the preferred mailing address that is registered with Services Australia. If a preferred mailing address is not available, the report is mailed to the practice address where you provided the most MBS services over the most recent 3 months before the data extraction date.
These reports contain individual Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data, as well as aggregate data from other general practitioners working in similar settings for comparison.
Can I use Practice Reflections reports towards continuing professional development points?
Yes, using the report to reflect on how your data aligns with best practice qualifies for continuing professional development points as a self-recorded activity.
Where does the data come from?
The data is from Services Australia and includes:
- all relevant medicines that were prescribed by you and dispensed on the PBS
- all relevant MBS items that were referred by you and claimed on the MBS.
We have a contract with Services Australia for the extraction of specific MBS and/or PBS data, which contains both individual provider names and numbers, and aggregated patient data. This information is securely stored in Australia and is protected using multiple layers of accredited security controls, including best-practice encryption methods for de-identification.
This information is only accessed in accordance with strict information security protocols by Services Australia staff who have obtained an Australian Government security clearance and by authorised personnel at Services Australia’s accredited mail house subcontractor. We have no access to your data at any stage of development of this report.
Can anyone else see my data?
No, it is strictly confidential and for your personal reflection only.
Can I receive Practice Reflections reports by email?
Currently reports are only delivered by mail, however we are investigating options for future reports to be delivered by email.
How can I change my mailing address?
You can update your preferred mailing address with Services Australia by logging into your Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) account using PRODA, or you can email Services Australia with your full name, provider number and new preferred mailing address from a personal email address that clearly identifies you, or the email address stored on the Medicare Provider Directory.
Can my Practice Reflections report be re-sent?
No, the reports are prepared as a set and mailed automatically.
What should I consider when I interpret the data?
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data
The indication for prescribing cannot always be determined from PBS data. For example, if you prescribe asthma medicines for patients with non-asthma conditions, such as viral-induced wheeze, your overall prescribing for asthma captured in a Practice Reflections report may be higher than you expect.
All practices are different; for example, general practitioners specialising in palliative care, cancer care or acute care may have higher prescribing rates of certain medicines that are appropriate for their patients.
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) data
The data will only include MBS item codes that were claimed on the MBS. The reports may include MBS data on referrals and/or services performed within the reporting period.
The data does not look as I’d expect, why could this be?
There are several reasons why this might be including:
- if you have a small number of Medicare consultations, differences may be magnified in your data when expressed as rates
- medicines you prescribe may not always be dispensed and tests you refer patients for may not always be performed.
Keep in mind possible delays between the date of prescribing by you and the date of dispensing for the patient; similarly, for MBS items, there may be delays between the date of your test request and date it was performed and claimed
Discrepancies may occur between the data provided and your own practice data. This may be due to either an inaccurate recording of your prescriber number in the pharmacy or your prescription or referral pad having been used by another doctor.
My data looks high because of my patient demographic – was this considered?
We recognise that the context of prescribing or writing test requests varies for every general practitioner, but due to data limitations we cannot account for variations in patient demographics.
What is the RA?
RA stands for Remoteness area and is a comparator group that includes all providers practicing in a similar geographical location.
The RA classifications are:
- Major city
- Inner regional
- Outer regional
- Remote
- Very remote.
If a provider has been allocated to multiple RAs over time, the current RA is used in the report.
Similarly, if a provider practices in multiple locations, the RA where most claims have been lodged is used in the report.
What does the Practice age profile show me?
The Practice age profile is provided to help you interpret your prescribing or referral data by comparing the age spread of all your patients with those of other providers assigned to the same RA as you. Understanding the profile of your patients in your practice can help contextualise data in the report.
What should I do if I have concerns about the data in my Practice Reflections report?
You can email our practice reflections team with questions or concerns, and if we are unable to resolve your concerns, we will facilitate investigation with Services Australia.
If you have concerns about your data in relation to fraud, you can report suspected fraud by contacting Services Australia on 131 524 or contact the police.
Can I request a patient list that relates to my data?
No, the Practice Reflections data from Services Australia is not provided at an individual patient level.
You can join MedicineInsight if you want reports based at patient level.
What services are included in a Category 1 consultation?
The definitions are listed in the Medicare Benefits Schedule Book, Category 1.
If my data shows I am above or below the comparison rate of general practitioners, do I need to change my prescribing or referral habits?
The comparison rate is not necessarily an indicator of best practice guidelines.
Based on the clinical situation, being higher or lower may be a good thing. We encourage you to interpret your data alongside the points for reflection and best practice guidelines, as well as your patients’ characteristics.
In some cases, you may realise your prescribing or test referral habits are not in line with best practice guidelines and you may need to consider a change your clinical practice.
Who do I contact for more information about Practice Reflections reports?
You can email our practice reflections team for more information.