Bulk billing: GPs blame low Medicare rebates for changes to billing models

Doctors are increasingly scrapping the 100 per cent bulk billing model, and it's left the sector's peak body calling on the federal government for higher rebates.

A survey of almost 500 doctors revealed that 22 per cent of GPs had recently changed their billing model, according to data from HealthEd.

Of those who had changed their billing model, 33 per cent moved from bulk billing to mixed billing (a combination of bulk billing and private billing); and 67 per cent changed from mixed billing to completely private billing.

Rising practice costs and Medicare cuts were listed as reasons for the billing changes.

When asked the same question last year, just 10 per cent said they had recently changed their billing model, the survey shows.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) president Dr Karen Price said unless the government increased investment in GP care, more practices would be forced to pass the cost on to patients.

ACM has learned that from September 1, patients at Paddington Family Practice in Sydney will be paying more, with the practice "no longer able to bulk bill as many patients".

"The Medicare rebate of $39 for a consult less than 20 minutes equates to 44 per cent of our standard fee of $90. This is a 56 per cent discount, which we are unfortunately unable to sustain," the GP surgery told its patients.

Northern Medical Centre in Adelaide has already scrapped bulk billing.

"Unfortunately, we are no longer able to sustain 100 per cent bulk billing due to inflation," the practice said in its blog. "The amount set by the government does not cover the cost of providing a high-quality medical service.

"The costs of running an accredited medical practice, such as ours, continue to rise, and Medicare rebates have not kept pace."

Dr Price said the decision by GPs to scrap or reduce bulk billing services is not taken lightly.

"No one relishes the thought of asking their patients to pay more, particularly those struggling to make ends meet at a time of increased grocery and fuel costs just to name a few," she said.

"Medicare rebates simply haven't kept pace with the cost of providing high-quality care. Our hands are tied, we need help desperately."

The peak GP group is calling for a 10 per cent increase to Medicare rebates for consultations lasting 20 to 40 minutes and 40 minutes and a new Medicare item for consultations lasting more than hour.

"This will have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of people who need to have multiple health conditions carefully managed and result in fewer patients ending up in a hospital bed with a problem that could and should have been managed by their GP," Dr Price said.

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