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Our response to the Medicare Benefits Schedule review: Call for comments

  11 February 2019  NWMPHN   

The MBS Review Taskforce has released its Report from the General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee for consultation.

The Report contains 18 recommendations to change general practice billing and processes. The full list of recommendations is below.

NWMPHN is developing a response to the Report’s recommendations and is seeking your comments to inform our response. We will also be receiving comments on the recommendations from our programmatic Clinical Advisors, our Clinical Council and Community Council.

Please send your feedback on these recommendations to Michaela Lodewyckx, Coordinator – Primary Care Improvement on Michaela.lodewyckx@nwmphn.org.au. Alternately you can provide feedback by phone on 03 9347 1188. Please ensure all feedback is submitted by Friday, 22 February 2019.

Full list of 18 recommendations from the Report from the General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee: 

  1. Move to a patient-centred primary care model supporting GP stewardship
  2. Introduce a new voluntary patient enrolment fee
  3. Introduce flexible access linked to voluntary patient enrolment
  4. Combine GP Management Plans (GPMPs) and Team Care Arrangements (TCAs) and strengthen GPMPs
  5. Link allied health items to GPMPs
  6. Equalise the rebate for GPMPs and GPMP reviews
  7. Increase access to care facilitation services for patients
  8. Activate and engage patients in their own care planning
  9. Rebate participation in case conferencing for non-GP health professionals
  10. Build the evidence base for Health Assessments and ensure that the content of Health Assessments conforms to appropriate clinical practice guidelines
  11. Delete Health Assessments less than 30 minutes and expand the at-risk groups who are eligible for Health Assessments
  12. Link Medication Management Reviews (MMRs) to GPMPs and reduce the schedule fee
  13. Increase the rebate for home visits for patients with a GPMP
  14. Introduce a 6 minute minimum time for a Level B consultation item
  15. Introduce a new Level E consultation item at 60 minutes or more
  16. Increase access to primary health care in Residential Aged Care Facilities
  17. Update language across the MBS to better reflect the role of registered and enrolled nurses
  18. Amend the specialist consultation telehealth items to make clear that GPs are able to claim the items