Medicare freeze continues to thaw – but not fast enough, RACGP says The indexation of consultation items is not high enough to cover the true costs or value of general practice care.
Australians are visiting their GP more and more Australians now see their GP an average of 6.1 times a year, up from 5.4 times in 2010–11, according to new research.
Federal Government aims to better target bulk-billing incentives for rural areas The geographic eligibility criteria for rurality will be updated to better reflect current population data.
Federal Budget 2018–19: An overview for general practice There has been plenty written about this week’s Federal Budget. The RACGP has praised big-ticket spending in specialist GP training, rural health, aged care, and medical research, but there remains little detail on these and other areas.
Government reforms to the aged care system: Will they be enough? The Federal Government seeks to restore trust in Australia’s aged care system with a suite of reforms to the sector.
Approaching drug use as a health issue, rather than a criminal one GP Dr Ines Rio talks to newsGP about a Victorian Government report on drug law reform that recommends a health-based framework – and whether it represents a positive step forward.
High bulk-billing rate does not reflect true costs or value of general practice The Federal Government has reported a high bulk-billing rate for first half of the financial year, but the raw figures do not necessarily tell the whole story.
Outlining changes to urgent after-hours items The Federal Government’s changes to urgent after-hours Medicare rebates will take effect from 1 March.
RACGP appeals for urgent political focus on rising patient costs The RACGP is calling on Australia’s political leaders to develop an immediate solution to patients’ rising out-of-pocket costs.
GPs call for improved mental health funding GPs need to be better remunerated for treating patients experiencing issues of mental health, prominent GP and former President of AMA Victoria Dr Mukesh Haikerwal told newsGP.