The 1 May 2007 supplement to the MBS is now available in electronic format and can be downloaded from MBS Online. The 1 May 2007 online version replaces the printed booklet which will not be distributed by the Department on this occasion. The November MBS books will continue to be produced and distributed in hard copy.
Moving to an online Supplement will allow the Department and the wider medical profession more time and flexibility when developing and negotiating changes to the MBS.
All changes made over the preceding 12 months would be incorporated into the November MBS books.
Having medical practitioners and allied health providers use MBS Online provides the opportunity to stagger changes to the MBS throughout the year rather than having timing dictated by book production.
The move to an online environment will not only improve the efficiency of the MBS process but it will also enable the MBS to reflect more accurately, current clinical practice and the Department to be more responsive to change. In the end this will benefit all Australians.
Following the production of the 1 May 2007 Medicare Benefits Schedule Supplement will be the 1 July 2007 Medicare Benefits Schedule Supplement.