Progress is underway to reform time-based items.
A recent meeting of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) has revealed new progress when it comes to reforming the time-tiered items on the MBS.
Per MRAC, a review of time-based items on the MBS has now commenced, taking into consideration issues such as consistency and streamlining of services.
Whether the current time allocations are appropriately supporting modern clinical practice has also come into question by MRAC and other medical bodies such as the AMA and RACGP.
The MRAC working group has so far met six times to discuss the streamlining, with another meeting scheduled for early December this year.
Two of said meetings were targeted stakeholder consultation forums that discussed draft recommendations to the working group.
A draft report is not in the works, with an open consultation process expected to commence in the new year.
“The MBS time tiered items is not fit for purpose in general practice at the moment, and particularly doesn’t reflect the growing complexity of care in general practice,” AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen told The Medical Republic.
“To manage growing chronic disease, mental health concerns, our ageing population and just the expectations of consumers, [GPs] should be able to address more than one or two issues in a consultation.
“The current MBS incentivises high throughput and shorter consultations, which make it difficult to address those more complex needs, and really difficult for patients to get that extra few minutes with their GP to have that comprehensive look.”
The AMA’s Modernise Medicare initiative calls for longer time-tiered MBS items to allow for greater care for chronic conditions.
“We’ve proposed a restructure to change the current time tiered items into a seven-tier structure that better smooths the curve and makes it more equitable,” Dr McMullen told TMR.
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“I think that’s kind of the crux of what we’ve been putting forward, is a seven-tier structure to modernise Medicare and to make it fit for 2025 and beyond.
“We’re really encouraged to work with MRAC through this process to look at how time tiered items work, whether in consultation rooms, out of in hours and out of hours home visits.”
The RACGP has also backed the need for longer consult items whilst maintaining consistency and not adding to GP administrative burden.
“One thing that’s clear and which we’ve been consistent on is the need for more support for patients to access longer consults,” RACGP vice president Dr Ramya Raman told TMR.
“More patients need these items, and GPs are providing more long consultations, but the rebate that patients receive per minute decreases for those longer consultations.”
“A funding system for general practice that devalues appointments for more complex care is one that needs reform, especially as our population ages and more patients seek care for chronic conditions and their mental health.”
