Just over a year after the government’s bulk billing incentive program, more than 4000 GP practices across Australia now fully bulk bill all their patients – almost double the 2300 clinics from the previous year.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the figures showed that bulk billing was, for the “first time in years”, an “attractive option”.
“Australian patients are paying less for their GP visits, with one in two general practices across the nation now committed to bulk billing all patients,” he said.
According to the government, just 3% of Australians live more than a 20-minute drive from a practice that exclusively bulk bills thanks to the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP).
From 1 November last year, participating practices registered for MyMedicare could receive an additional 12.5% incentive payment for every dollar of MBS benefit earned from eligible services under the program.
Payments to practices and GPs totalled $192.3 million in the last financial year, according to Services Australia’s latest annual report, or roughly $53,416 for each of the 3600 registered general practices at the end of June.
The biggest increase was reportedly in rural areas, where the percentage of bulk billing practices rose from just over one-quarter (27%) to 59%.
Remote areas secured the top spot across Australia, with the highest proportion of bulk billing practices at 77%.
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RACGP president Dr Michael Wright told The Medical Republic it was “impressive” to see the increase in access in rural communities where the bulk billing incentives were highest.
“These additional incentives have shown that if you invest in general practice, it delivers,” he said.
The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of fully bulk billing clinics, with four-fifths (80%) of practices bulk billing, up from 60% the previous year.
In the ACT, bulk billing rates were lowest – at less than one quarter (21%). However, this was just over double the previous year’s proportion.
Similarly, the share of exclusively bulk-billing practices more than doubled in South Australia, from 19% to 43%, in Tasmania, from 17% to 47%, and in Western Australia, from 15% to 32%.
In New South Wales, 58% of practices fully bulk billed, followed closely by Victoria at 55%.
Dr Wright said in urban areas, where incentives did not necessarily cover the cost of care, it was “not a surprise” that these practices were less able to adopt exclusive bulk billing.
Increasing Medicare rebates for longer consults was the “next piece of the puzzle”, Dr Wright said, that would ensure female GPs, who, according to the college’s latest annual report, were more often than not providing longer consultations, were properly remunerated.
“We don’t want any practices closing down because they’re not viable. Practices take these decisions really seriously and do so in the best interests of their community and the financial viability of their practice, and that doesn’t change with these [BBPIP] incentives,” Dr Wright said.
Since yesterday, Medicare’s new once-per-lifetime health check for three-year-olds has been made available, as part of the government’s rollout of Thriving Kids.
As part of the Thriving Kids Advisory Group’s recommendation, doctors will assess children’s physical, social and emotional development and wellbeing to identify any health and developmental concerns or neurodevelopmental differences.
Where needed, children could be referred to Thriving Kids or other supports for further monitoring and assessment.
“When GPs can spend the time they need with kids and parents, they can identify potential health and developmental concerns early and help families access appropriate support so every child starts school healthy and ready to learn,” the RACGP president said. “We called the Government’s commitment for this check a win for families, and GPs are ready to support every child to thrive.”
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