Review of MBS time-tiered items for primary care
The Federal Government’s Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) is currently conducting a Review of MBS time-tiered items for primary care.
The review will consider issues such as item consistency, opportunities to streamline, and whether the current time-tiers appropriately support contemporary clinical practice.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright and Funding and Health System Reform Expert Committee Chair A/Prof Rashmi Sharma have represented the College at one of two targeted consultation forums and provided a detailed submission to the Working Group. However, at this stage the terms set by MRAC for engaging in this review include a confidentiality requirement for the proposals put forward.
Public consultation on the Review’s draft recommendations is expected in early 2026.
RACGP position
The time-tiered general attendance consultation items represent over half of general practice consultations and as such, they are vital to the ongoing viability of general practice.
As part of its contribution to the review the College has pushed strongly for reform that respects the clinical autonomy of GPs and supports sustainable, high-quality care. The RACGP submission to the review was informed by a member survey that ran from November 2024 – January 2025 and received more than 300 responses.
In all of our advocacy to government we have consistently argued for increased funding to support longer consultations, and in particular, for a 40% rebate increase for Level C & D GP consultations.
As we all know Medicare funding for patients to access longer GP consultations is not proportionally equivalent to shorter consultations. Generally, the rebate that patients receive per minute decreases for patients seeking longer consultations, which are usually for complex or multifaceted health needs. In this way, the current funding system for general practice devalues appointments for more complex care.
While the College will be pushing for a 40% rebate increase for Level C & Ds, members might also be aware that the AMA have proposed a new seven level time-tiered structure. While our positions vary, ultimately both organisations are pushing for more funding support for longer consultations.
Next steps
Once the public consultation is underway, the RACGP will provide further feedback to the review based on member feedback and insights.
If you have any questions regarding the Review of MBS time-tiered items for primary care, or if you would like to provide feedback to inform future submissions in this space, please contact us at healthreform@racgp.org.au.