Primary Health Care

Very Low Cost Access Payments

The Very Low Cost Access payment comprises an individual practice component and a whole of PHO component.

for each PHO practice that meets the very low fee threshold, the individual practice component comprises:

a 21.25 percent increase on First Contact capitation at Access non High Use Health Card rates for enrollees aged six years and over;
a 21.34 percent increase on First Contact capitation at Access non High Use Health Card rates for enrollees aged under six years.

for PHOs where all their practices meet the Very Low Cost Access payment , the whole of PHO component comprises:
- a 21.25 percent increase on Services to Improve Access funding for enrollees aged six years and over;
- a 21.34 percent increase on Services to Improve Access funding for enrollees aged under six years

so long as its use is related to implementing the Primary Health Care Strategy including reducing health inequalities, and subject to DHB approval for transparency and accountability purposes.

The actual rates provided are....

As the Very Low Cost Access payment is calculated as a percentage of the First Contact and Services to Improve Access funding, the value of the very low cost access payment is adjusted annually in line with the adjusted base. The very low fees threshold (that is the maximum fees that can be charged to be eligible) are also adjusted annually to maintain value by the same percentage as the capitation base adjustment.

Maximum fees

From 1 July 2008, the maximum fees that may be charged for standard consultations are:

$0 for children under 6
$10.50 for children aged 6 - 17 years
$16.00 for adults aged 18 years and over

Eligibility

Eligibility for the Very Low Cost Access payment is limited to practices that commit each quarter to providing free standard consultations at no more than the maximum fees stated above.

As well, practices must belong to a Primary Health Organisation (PHO) that:

is participating in the PHO Performance Programme and
it must have entered into the most current version of the PHO Agreement (where a variation to that Agreement has been made during a payment quarter, the PHO must have entered into the most current version of that Agreement by a date determined by the DHB).

Notification dates

The dates for notification during 2008/09 are:

Payment quarter	Last date for PHOs to notify the DHB	Last date for the DHB to notify the Ministry
1 July 2008 – 30 September 2008	7 June 2008	14 June 2008
1 October 2008 – 31 December 2008	7 September 2008	14 Spetember 2008
1 January 2009 – 31 March 2008	7 December 2008	14 December 2008
1 April 2009 – 30 June 2009	7 March 2009	14 March 2009

New rates

View new rates from 1 July 2008.

Read more about Very Low Cost Access Payments

Page last updated: 22 July 2008