Primary Health Care Limited

Primary Health Care Ltd:

• owns and operates general practice businesses in a financially sustainable business model
• develops and proves operating models for general practice that address the challenges of sustainability, including the increasing health burden of the population, the requirement for greater integration with other health care providers and the anticipated shortage of clinical staff
• trials and proves new tools and initiatives developed by the network for practices
• supports the roll out of the network's model of care and other key initiatives
• provides options for general practices that are at risk of collapse or closure that would otherwise leave local communities without a viable primary care service. 

PHCL practices receive the same resources as any other Pinnacle practice. There is no additional funding received from Pinnacle - we are proud of
our ability to stand alone in this way, and we see ourselves as a
vital component of the Pinnacle network.

As a not-for-profit business owned by its members, PHCL is a cooperative, not a corporate owner.

We respect local differences, individual cultures and community needs, and we support each practice to provide excellent quality care to their unique enrolled population.

We aim for our practices to be at the heart of the community, and to bring an unprecedented range of services closer to home for our patients.

The current model of single owner-operator GPs is increasingly unsustainable, and is difficult to attract new staff to.

Many of the current corporate models, which rely on high levels of on-demand acute appointments, won’t work in our region. The don’t deliver better working environments or improved health outcomes for our people.

Experience from Western Australia, which saw a major part of their primary care provision come under corporate ownership, showed that much of the profitability and efficiency came from simply increasing enrolment numbers, increasing throughput of patients and increased referral to integrated diagnostic services.

In our opinion this doesn’t work for doctors, and it doesn’t work
for communities. We offer an alternative vision.

We have ownership options to match your goals, whether it be a partial sale, full sale of shared management of the practice which might alleviate
some of the administrative burden associated with being a solo GP owner.

PHCL promises GPs a clear process and a fair market price for their practice, as well as support for owners, staff and the local community during any transition, and the assurance of continuity of care for their patients.

We’re keen for GPs to keep working after the transition. This can act as a good buffer into retirement, and offer an easier transition for patients.

PHCL primarily buys practices from Pinnacle members, and all our members have this succession option available to them. As part of your membership, PHCL can discuss this option in a no-obligation manner.