‘Start of a disaster’: How a line on a map is sending a GP clinic broke
A GP says her clinic is facing bankruptcy after being declared 'metropolitan' by health officials
A GP says her once-profitable clinic is facing bankruptcy after an adjustment to a government map led to restrictions on recruitment and funding cuts.
Dr Hannah Vorster is one of 7000 GPs who saw their rebates from bulk-bulling incentives fall by one-third in January, under changes to the Department of Health’s rural classification system.
Around 2000 GPs have been rezoned as rural in the shake-up, meaning their bulk-billing incentives increased from $6.40 to $9.65 for the first time.
The department says its classification system, known as the Modified Monash Model, is based on the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to ensure rural incentives are properly targeted.
