Non-vocationally registered doctors already enrolled in OMPEP will keep access to higher GP Medicare rebates until 2030 under a four-year extension.
Thousands of non-vocationally registered doctors working in rural, remote and after-hours settings will remain eligible for higher GP Medicare rebates until 30 June 2030 under an extension of the Other Medical Practitioners Extension Program (OMPEP).
New guidelines issued by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing have confirmed the program will continue from 1 July 2026 for practitioners who were actively enrolled in the OMPEP on 30 June 2026 and who continue to meet the requirements of their original legacy program.
The extension follows an earlier one-year continuation announced in 2025 and provides longer-term certainty for medical practitioners who do not hold specialist registration in general practice but continue to deliver GP services, particularly in workforce shortage areas.
The OMPEP was introduced in July 2023 after the closure of three legacy schemes, including the After Hours Other Medical Practitioners Program, the Outer Metropolitan Other Medical Practitioners Program and the Rural Other Medical Practitioners Program (ROMP).
Eligibility was restricted to doctors already participating in one of those programs on 30 June 2023.
Under the updated guidelines, no new applicants will be accepted into OMPEP, with the department reiterating that only practitioners already registered in the scheme by 30 June 2026 can continue.
“The intent of the 2026 extended OMPEP is to recognise the value of services provided by medical practitioners who do not hold specialist registration in general practice,” the guidelines state.
Eligible participants will be automatically extended in the program without needing to reapply, provided they continue to satisfy the conditions of the legacy scheme underpinning their original eligibility.
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For doctors linked to the former ROMP pathway, eligibility requirements include ongoing participation in RACGP or ACRRM training leading to specialist GP registration, while continuing to work in designated rural and remote locations or approved workforce shortage areas.
The department said OMPEP participants would continue to access the same Medicare Benefits Schedule item numbers available under their original ROMP or AHOMP arrangements.
The latest extension comes amid ongoing workforce pressures across general practice, particularly in regional Australia, where non-vocationally registered doctors continue to play a significant role in service delivery.
While the scheme secures rebate access for existing participants for another four years, the continued closure of the program to new entrants means no additional doctors will be able to join the pathway.
For more information about the extension see here.
