Practice Reflections: Frequently asked questions

To support your quality improvement activities, you and other General Practitioners (GPs) across Australia are receiving Practice Reflections reports. These reports contain individual Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data, as well as aggregate data from GPs working in similar settings for comparison.

Yes, using the report to reflect on how your data aligns with best practice qualifies for CPD points as a self-recorded activity. 

No, it is strictly confidential and is for your personal reflection only.

At present the reports are only delivered by mail. However, the Commission is currently investigating options for future reports to be delivered by email.

To update your preferred mailing address with Services Australia:

• Log in to your Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) account using PRODA and change your details

OR

• Send your full name, provider number and new preferred mailing address to provider.registration@servicesaustralia.gov.au from a personal email address that clearly identifies you, or the email address stored on the Medicare Provider Directory.

The data are from Services Australia and include:

• 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.  

The Commission has 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. Commission has no access to your data at any stage of development of this report.

All GPs across Australia will receive a Practice Reflections report, except those who have less than 160 Category 1 (professional attendance) services during the previous April to June period.

If you are a GP, your Practice Reflections report will be mailed to the preferred mailing address that is registered with Services Australia. If a preferred mailing address is not available, the report will be mailed to the practice address where you provided the most MBS services over the most recent 3 months before the data extraction date.

No, the reports are prepared as a set and mailed automatically.

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, GPs 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 MSB data on referrals and/or services performed within the reporting period.

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.

We recognise that the context of prescribing or writing test requests varies for every GP, but due to data limitations we cannot account for variations in patient demographics

See also ‘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. 

If you have read the previous sections about considerations when interpreting your data and still have questions, email the Commission at practicereflections@safetyandquality.gov.au. 

If we are unable to resolve your concerns, we will facilitate investigation of your query 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.

No, the Practice Reflections data from Services Australia is not provided at an individual patient level.

You can join MedicineInsight program if you want reports based at patient level. To join, email us at MedicineInsight@safetyandquality.gov.au or call 1300 721 726.

The definitions are listed in the Medicare Benefits Schedule Book, Category 1.

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 that 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.

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.

Note, that if a provider has been allocated to multiple RAs over time, the current RA will be used in the report. Similarly, if a provider practices in multiple locations, the RA where the majority of claims have been lodged will be used in the report. 

If you have any further questions, contact the Commission via practicereflections@safetyandquality.gov.au