PHN - Integrated Team Care

Overview

The Integrated Team Care (ITC) Program is funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP), which was established by the Australian Government on 1 July 2014. The ITC was established in 2016-17 and aims to support the Targeted Health Activities theme under the IAHP. The objectives of this theme are to improve health outcomes by targeting high prevalence or emerging health conditions in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The objectives of the ITC Program are to: • contribute to better treatment and management of chronic conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enrolled on the program; • improve access to appropriate health care through care coordination and provision of supplementary services for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic disease; • foster collaboration and support between the mainstream primary care and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector; • improve the capacity of mainstream primary care services to deliver culturally appropriate services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and • increase the uptake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items, including MBS 715 Health Assessments, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and follow up items. The intended outcomes of the ITC Program aligns with the Targeted Health Activities theme through its aims to:• improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic health conditions through better access to care coordination, multidisciplinary care, and support for self-management; and• contribute to closing the gap in life expectancy by improved access to culturally appropriate mainstream primary care services (including but not limited to general practice, allied health and specialists) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.