Glossary
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: In most data collections, a person who identified themselves, or was identified by another household member, as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. For a few data collections, information on acceptance of a person as being Indigenous by an Indigenous community may also be required. See also First Nations.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner: An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has gained a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice and is registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia. For more information, see the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker: An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with a minimum qualification in the field of primary health-care work or clinical practice. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners are one speciality stream of health worker. Health workers liaise with patients, clients and visitors to hospitals and health clinics, and work as a team member to arrange, coordinate and provide health-care delivery in community health clinics.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs): Primary health care services initiated and operated by local Indigenous communities to deliver comprehensive, holistic and culturally-appropriate health care to the community that controls it through a locally elected board of management. These services range from large multi-functional services employing several medical practitioners to small services that rely on nurses and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. For more information, see the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) website.
allied health: Health care provided by a medical professional who is not a doctor, dentist, nurse, or midwife. For more information, see Healthdirect website.
average: Sum of all the values in a set of values, divided by the number of values in that set. Often used as a representative value of that set.
chronic disease management (CDM) services: GP services on the MBS that are available to people with a chronic or terminal medical condition. CDM services include GP Management Plans (GPMP) and Team Care Arrangements (TCA).
First Nations: People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
follow-up service: A Medicare-rebated service following a health check, available specifically to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Patients can receive up to 10 follow-up services from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner or practice nurse on behalf of a general practitioner (GP) per calendar year, and up to 5 follow-up services from eligible allied health professionals with referral from a GP per calendar year. See also health check.
follow-up percentage: The proportion of health check patients who received a follow-up service in the 12 months following their health check. Derived from the number of health check patients with a follow-up divided by the number of total health check patients in a given year.
general practitioner (GP): Medical practitioners who have completed a specialist training program in general practice and have obtained a fellowship from an Australasian specialist college. They are registered as specialists in general practice with the Medical Board of Australia. See also medical practitioners other than GPs.
GP Management Plans (GPMP): A chronic disease management service on the MBS, which provides an organised approach to care, emphasising regular reviews, tailored self-care strategies, and coordination of services with specialists.
health check: A health assessment available specifically to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through a limited list of Medicare item numbers, provided by a general practitioner (GP). The minimum time allowed between services is 9 months. The aim of health checks is to assess patients’ physical, psychological and social wellbeing, and to support patients in accessing subsequent health care services. For more information, read about Annual health checks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the Department of Health and Aged Care website. See also follow-up.
health check uptake: The proportion of First Nations people who received a health check within a 12-month period, as measured at two key reference points in the year. In this report, uptake was calculated by counting those patients who had a health check in the year ending on either 30 June or 31 December, then dividing this number by the estimated population on the respective date. Uptake ending in June corresponds to uptake over the financial year, while uptake ending in December corresponds to uptake over the calendar year.
Indigenous Region (IREG): Indigenous Regions are large geographical areas used to report data about First Nations people. Part of the Indigenous Structure in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. Compared with other structures in the Australian Standard Geography Standard, the Indigenous Structure better reflects the distribution of the Indigenous population.
mean: Average of a group of numbers. See also average.
median: Midpoint of a list of observations ranked from smallest to largest.
medical practitioners other than GPs: Medical practitioners who have not completed a specialist training program in general practice or have not obtained a fellowship from an Australasian specialist college. They may be working towards becoming general practitioners or pursuing other career paths. See also general practitioners.
Medicare: A national, government-funded scheme that subsidises the cost of personal medical services for all Australians and aims to help them afford medical care.
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS): The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) is the listing of the Medicare services subsidised by the Australian Government. The schedule is part of the wider Medicare Benefits Scheme (Medicare).
national Key Performance Indicators (nKPI): The national Key Performance Indicator collection is a set of primary health indicators for First Nations people which focuses on maternal and child health, preventative disease management. The collection commenced in June 2012 and is ongoing with data collection occurring every 6 months from more than 200 First Nations-specific primary health organisations across Australia.
practice nurse: A registered or enrolled nurse who assists GPs or medical practitioners delivering services to patients.
Primary Health Network (PHN): Independent organisation funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care to coordinate primary health care. Each PHN cares for a corresponding geographical region. Together, the PHNs geographically cover the whole of Australia.
Remoteness Area: Classification that divides each state and territory into several regions based on their relative accessibility to goods and services (such as general practitioners, hospitals and specialist care) as measured by road distance. These regions are based on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia and defined as Remoteness Areas by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.
statistical areas: Geographical classifications forming part of the main Australian Statistical Geography Standard structure. They encompass four levels, with increasing size and population: Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s); Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s); Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3s); and Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4s).
Team Care Arrangements (TCA): A chronic disease management service on the MBS to coordinate care between the patient’s GP and allied health providers.