Medicare rort claims overblown but mistakes cost $580 million a year, govt review says
RACGP president Dr Nicole Higgins says the issue is MBS complexity.
Media headlines declaring doctors rort Medicare for $8 billion a year have no factual support, yet accidental non-compliance is costing taxpayers at least $580 million a year, a review suggests.
Nine newspapers quoted the $8 billion figure last year after interviewing researcher Dr Margaret Faux (PhD) who said she estimated that 30% of the Medicare budget was disappearing as a result of fraud and inappropriate claiming by doctors.
