The 1 July 2011 MBS files are now available to download from the following MBS Online link:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Downloads-201107
The following is a summary of this July's release:
REVIEW OF GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES
- Better Start for Children with Disability – This initiative will deliver services on a similar basis to the Helping Children with Autism Program. A new group has been created, ‘Group A29 – Early intervention services for children with autism, pervasive developmental disorder or disability’ which contains three items, 135, 137 and 139: item 135 has been moved into Group A29 from Group A4; items 137 and 139 are new items for disability. A new Explanatory Note A14 has been included. ‘Group M10 – Autism, pervasive developmental disorder and disability services’ contains the amended items 82000-82025 and the new items 80230 and 80235 for allied health professional services for children with autism, pervasive developmental disorder or disability. Explanatory Note M.10.1 has been amended.
- Telehealth - 33 new items have been introduced on 1 July 2011 to allow Medicare Benefits to be paid for eligible Telehealth Specialist consultations and clinical support services. These items have been introduced as part of the 2010-2011 budget initiative, "Connecting Health Services with the Future: Modernising Medicare by Providing Rebates for Online Consultations.”
- Facial Injections of Poly-L-lactic acid - items 14201 and 14202 are being introduced following an MSAC recommendation that public funding be supported for the procedure for severe facial lipoatrophy caused by antiretroviral therapy.
- Botulinum toxin - New item for Injection of Botulinum toxin (Botox) for the treatment of moderate to severe spasticity in the upper limbs due to cerebral palsy, in a patient aged 2 to 17 years.
- Intravascular Brachytherapy (IVBT) for Coronary Artery Restenoses - IVBT items 15360, 15363, 15541, 38321, 38324, 38327, 38330 are being removed from the MBS following an MSAC recommendation that the procedure is no longer clinically relevant.
- Anaesthetic amendment - the operational restriction that the anaesthetic allergy testing be performed in association with anaesthetic has been removed
- Gold fiducial seeds - New interim item 37217 for the insertion of gold fiducial seeds into the prostate as markers for image guided radiotherapy (IGRT).
- Amendments to Ear, Nose and Throat items – item 41767 has been amended to expand the range of clinically relevant approaches that may be used for nasopharyngeal tumours. Item 41861 has been amended to allow for the removal of all benign lesions of the larynx.
From 1 July 2011 all services listed in the Diagnostic Imaging Services Table of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), excluding Positron Emission Tomography (PET) services, preparation items 60918 and 60927 and MRI modifier items in subgroup 22, will have a mirror NK item (50% of the Schedule Fee) for diagnostic imaging services provided on aged equipment. This rule, known as ‘capital sensitivity’, is currently in place for computed tomography (CT) and angiography and will be extended to improve the quality of diagnostic imaging services by encouraging providers to upgrade and replace aged equipment as appropriate.
REVIEW OF THE PATHOLOGY SERVICES
Seven new items, 66610, 69380, 73066, 73067, 73325, 73326 and 73327 have been introduced into the Pathology Services Table with a further six items, 66605, 66607, 69333, 71057, 71059 and 71200 amended to reflect a change either the descriptor or schedule fee.