A slew of new item numbers have just landed.
Long-awaited changes to the MBS items have come into effect as of 1 July, covering everything from chronic disease management to covid-19 support and vitamin B12 testing.
As Australia’s population ages, chronic disease management has become an increasingly central component of general practice.
The existing GP Management Plan items (229, 721, 92024, 92055), Team Care Arrangement items (230,723,92025, 92056), and review items (233, 723, 92028, 92059) are no longer.
These items have now been replaced with GP Chronic Condition Management Plan items (GPCCMP) (965, 392, 92029, 92060, 967, 393, 92030, 92061).
For GPs, both the preparation and review items attract a rebate of $156.55.
GPCCMP services will be available to patients via registered providers for those under MyMedicare registration, whilst those not registered under MyMedicare will receive said services via general practice.
These changes have been established with the intent of streamlining chronic disease management services, with new simplified requirements for referring a patient to an allied health service.
GPs will no longer need to consult two collaborating providers, and the requirements for prior referral forms have been removed.
Patients who had a GP Management Plan or Team Care Arrangement set prior to July 1, 2025, will still be able to access these services as part of respective plans for two years.
These changes were first announced as part of the 2023 federal budget and were originally scheduled for September 2024.
New item 695 allows GPs to bill Medicare for a menopause or perimenopause health assessment.
This amendment comes as part of the government’s investment into women’s health announced in the lead up to the federal election as part of a larger $573 million funding allocation.
It’s also indexation day; most MBS general medical services items, imaging services and pathology items in Group P12 will be increased by 2.4%.
In practice, this means an item 23 will now be worth $43.90.
Many COVID-19 vaccine support items have been made unavailable, including 93644, 93645, 93646, 93647, 93653, 93654, 93655, 93656, 10660, 10661, 93660, 93661, and 90005.
This means that GPs looking to offer COVID-19 related services will need to bill standard time-based items.
Mandatory bulk-billing requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations and related services have also been removed.
MBS items for vitamin B12 testing (66838 and 66839) have been amended to clarify testing pathways.
There is now an 11-month frequency restriction enforced on quantifying B12 markers via item 66839.
These changes align with recommendations from the MBS Review Taskforce which made calls to align restrictions of item 66839 with that of item 66838.
Access has been extended for temporary Heart Health Assessment items 699 and 177, which are due to expire after three years.
Urine testing item 69333 is also set to change as part of efforts to reduce clinically unnecessary testing for asymptomatic urine.
There are several exceptions to the amendment to include groups who may present asymptomatic but still require testing such as under 16-year-olds, renal transplant recipients, those who are pregnant and patients with a form of urinary or renal condition.
July 1 also marks the start of the national lung cancer screening program, which is open to asymptomatic patients with a history of smoking for at least 30 pack-years.
