Why GPs should expect more cash for ‘frequent flyer’ patients
There is a revolutionary vision for the future of general practice. Yes, the specialty is cash-starved, withered by chronic workforce shortages, assailed by the spectre…
Tag: MBS
Bad oral health can lead to clinical horrors — so why has Medicare gone AWOL?
Back in 1977, my role as a hospital-based dentist was limited to repairing broken dentures, placing the odd temporary filling on a ward, and the…
Bulk-billing rate drops to 72% for face-to-face level B consults
The bulk-billing rate for the standard face-to-face GP consult has fallen from 80% to 72% in a year, show data from the Department of Health…
‘No strong evidence’ that video telehealth is better than phone calls: RACGP
Health officials should stop treating audio-only phone consults as an inferior form of telehealth, the RACGP says, claiming the stance “is not underpinned by strong…
Medicare heart checks will go on as ‘our best tool for preventing heart disease’: Butler
The Federal Government has backed Medicare items for heart health checks, announcing they will be funded until 2025 despite opposition from the RACGP. MBS items…
GPs in the real world underbill more than they overservice, saving taxpayers $350m a year
Australia’s Medicare billing system is overly complicated, bureaucratic and not meeting the needs of a modern health service, potentially leaking billions of dollars. But claims…
Medicare rort claims overblown but mistakes cost $580 million a year, govt review says
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…
GPs saving Medicare millions by underbilling patients, study reveals
GPs are 10 times more likely to undercharge Medicare than overcharge, and the savings “dwarf” any amount that would come from overbilling, a study has…
Retract care plan nudge letters until item descriptors are fixed: RACGP
The nudge letters sent to 600 GPs who co-claimed care plan and practice nurse MBS items should be rescinded until the Medicare ambiguity is cleared up,…
Put GPs in jail: My simple fix to strengthen Medicare
Today the cogs in the most innovative healthcare service ever began to turn. The new Australian system will be based on getting medical services to…
