The Federal Government is under pressure to cut the Medicare rebate for bulk-billed home visits after its Medicare watchdog said some providers are rorting the system by falsely claiming visits are urgent to claim higher rebates.
“Examination of clinical records has shown that some practitioners have billed these items for medical conditions such as an uncomplicated rash, reissuing prescriptions for patients’ regular medication and for routine completion of medication charts in residential aged care facilities,” the Professional Services Review states.
The number of urgent home visits shot up by over 25 per cent from the previous year to 1.86 million. Urgent after-hours services are billed from $129 to $153. That’s compared to just $75 for a non-urgent visit.
In 2015-16, Medicare paid over $341 million for 3.4 million home visits, with $245 million spent on urgent after-hours services. That is 72 per cent of the value of all visits.
Home visits under threat
The Howard Government originally raised the Medicare rebate for home visits to cut down on emergency room visits. It worked – the number of GP presentations in emergency departments fell from 54 to 47 per cent.
The fact is most GP’s no longer make home calls. Without access to home visits, patients will be forced to call an ambulance – a cost of around $1,350 to the taxpayer – or go to the emergency room – an average around $570.
The Medicare Benefits Schedule Review set up by Health Minister Sussan Ley is due to report back to the Government soon on these after-hours services – let’s hope they remember the many older people who genuinely need them.
