Govt ad blitz to promote bulk-billing and urgent care clinics
The government wants to tout the bulk-billing rate, which is currently 74.4% for standard-length GP consults.
The Federal Government is funding an advertising blitz that encourages patients to search for bulk-billing GP clinics.
A 30-second TV advertisement is telling patients that the government is “investing in Medicare’s future to make it stronger, with more investment in bulk-billing, enhanced support for mental health and more urgent care clinics …”
It directs patients to a new government website where patients can search bulk-billing rates by suburb or use HealthDirect’s search function to find “a GP that bulk-bills every patient” or “a GP that bulk-bills some patients”.
It also highlights the controversial urgent care clinics, saying the 77 clinics now open have provided 880,000 consultations so far.
