Recommendation: changes to the item descriptor and explanatory notes for all urgent after-hours items Taskforce recommendation Item What it does What would be different Why Revise item descriptor for the urgent 597, These items cover an urgent Consumers will continue to The growth in claiming of urgent after-hours GP attendances by after-hours items. Restrict the use of 598, attendance by a doctor in the have access to urgent MDSs which operate only in the after-hours period is supporting these items to GPs and other medical 599, afterhours period. services that are low-value care. practitioners working within a general provided by GPs who provide 600 These services are provided at a high cost to the MBS relative to practice setting. after-hours care in addition to other GP services and many urgent after-hour services are not their in-hours practice. urgent but are being claimed at this higher cost. Any organisation that In support of high-value care, GPs who provide after-hours care to primarily provides care in the their patients, their practice's patients or patients that attend after-hours period will no another general practice that shares an after-hours roster will not longer be able to claim these be impacted by this proposal. items and will instead claim In this setting it is more likely that there will be better assessment the non-urgent after-hours items. of patients, better access to patient records and better follow-up to ensure continuity of care. The higher rebate available to these GPs recognises the complexity of the service being delivered and the impact on GPs who work normal business hours and are then called out at night. Recommendation: changes to the item descriptor and explanatory notes for all urgent after-hours items Taskforce recommendation Item What it does What would be different Why Revise item descriptor for the urgent 597, These items cover an urgent An assessment of a This change better reflects the service that is being delivered. after-hours items, replacing the 598, attendance by a doctor in the consumert will be the actual If an assessment is not deemed to be urgent, then a rebate should current wording of “the patient’s 599, afterhours period. trigger for a service, be paid for a non-urgent after-hours item. condition requires urgent medical 600 recognising that treatment treatment” with “the patient’s may not be necessary on the condition requires urgent medical basis of that assessment. assessment”.
Recommendation: changes to the item descriptor and explanatory notes for all urgent after-hours items Taskforce recommendation Item What it does What would be different Why Revise item descriptor for the urgent after-hours items. Restrict the use of these items to GPs and other medical practitioners working within a general practice setting. 597, 598, 599, 600 These items cover an urgent attendance by a doctor in the afterhours period. Consumers will continue to have access to urgent services that are provided by GPs who provide after-hours care in addition to their in-hours practice. Any organisation that primarily provides care in the after-hours period will no longer be able to claim these items and will instead claim the non-urgent after-hours items. The growth in claiming of urgent after-hours GP attendances by MDSs which operate only in the after-hours period is supporting low-value care. These services are provided at a high cost to the MBS relative to other GP services and many urgent after-hour services are not urgent but are being claimed at this higher cost. In support of high-value care, GPs who provide after-hours care to their patients, their practice's patients or patients that attend another general practice that shares an after-hours roster will not be impacted by this proposal. In this setting it is more likely that there will be better assessment of patients, better access to patient records and better follow-up to ensure continuity of care. The higher rebate available to these GPs recognises the complexity of the service being delivered and the impact on GPs who work normal business hours and are then called out at night. Recommendation: changes to the item descriptor and explanatory notes for all urgent after-hours items Taskforce recommendation Item What it does What would be different Why Revise item descriptor for the urgent after-hours items, replacing the current wording of “the patient’s condition requires urgent medical treatment” with “the patient’s condition requires urgent medical assessment”. 597, 598, 599, 600 These items cover an urgent attendance by a doctor in the afterhours period. An assessment of a consumert will be the actual trigger for a service, recognising that treatment may not be necessary on the basis of that assessment. This change better reflects the service that is being delivered. If an assessment is not deemed to be urgent, then a rebate should be paid for a non-urgent after-hours item.
Final%20report%20on%20urgent%20after-hours%20primary%20care%20funded%20through%20the%20MBS.docx