The November 2009 Medicare Benefits Schedule is now available

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The 1 November 2009 MBS files are now available to download from the following site.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Downloads-200911

The following is a summary of changes for this Novembers release:

Review of General Medical Services

Follow up service provided by a practice nurse or registered Aboriginal health worker - Item 10987 has been amended and can now be claimed up to a maximum of 10 times per patient per calendar year.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been amended to include the word medicine in the item descriptor for 13015 in line with the definition in Section 3 of the Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations.

Coronary Angiography items, Cataract items and items for minor procedures - As part of the 2009-10 Budget, it was announced that the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fees for cataract items 42698-42702 and coronary angiography items 38215-38240 and 38246 will be adjusted to more appropriately reflect the time and complexity of these services. New cataract surgery item 42718 has been introduced. In addition, minor procedural items 50124 and 50125 have been removed from the Schedule with benefits payable under existing attendance items

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Changes to Diagnostic Imaging Services

Item 59103 has had its description amended and its fee changed from a derived fee to a normal fee. Introduction of a 95% diagnostic imaging bulk bill incentive payment for all bulk billed out-of-hospital diagnostic imaging services except item 61369. See diagnostic imaging Note DIQ.

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Changes to Pathology Services

The fees for four Patient Episode Initiation items, 73928, 73930, 73936 and 73938 have been amended. A new group of items, entitled Group P13 Bulk Billed Pathology Episode Incentive Items have been introduced. These are: 74992, 74993, 74994, 74995, 74996, 74997, 74998 and 74999. A number of consequential rule changes have been made to reflect this.

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Changes to Allied Health Services

The amendments have removed the obsolete term Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Plans and refers to the current pre-requisite GP items (e.g. GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements) for allied health individual services; and makes minor word changes to clarify the content of referral forms. All the references to 'mental health care plan' have been replaced with references to 'mental health treatment plans' in line with changes to general practitioner Medicare Benefits Schedule items and updates the requirements for social workers to be eligible to register with Medicare Australia to provide certain services

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