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GPs secure assignment of benefit win
The Federal Government has moved to address GPs’ ‘significant concerns’ less than two weeks before the reforms were due to kick in.
‘GPs made it clear that these changes risked disrupting care for some of our most vulnerable patients,’ says RACGP President Dr Michael Wright.
Medicare rules that threatened to impact care being delivered to some of Australia’s most vulnerable have been amended, including a provision for enduring assignment of benefit consent for some patients.
With the 1 July start date drawing near, GPs expressed growing concerns about the administrative burden associated with the reforms as well as the impact on their patients, especially those in residential aged care facilities.
A particular sticking point was a requirement to secure an assignment of benefit consent each time GPs bulk billed a patient, presenting a challenge in aged care settings when dealing with advanced age or cognitive impairment of residents.
However, on Thursday, RACGP advocacy efforts to bring these issues to the attention of policymakers resulted in a win for GPs, with the Federal Government making several key changes to assignment of benefit rules.
Under the Federal Government’s changes:
- from 1 July, verbal consent will be available in all settings for 12 months
- enduring assignment of benefit will be an option for all MyMedicare registered patients, residents of aged care facilities and patients attending Aboriginal community controlled health organisations (ACCHOs) from 1 July 2026 – brought forward from April 2027
- patients attending ACCHOs will be able to have enduring assignment at multiple sites
- providers and software vendors that have already prepared or are preparing for the new arrangements, including through digital solutions, should continue that work
- compliance will not commence until regulatory changes are complete and will begin with prevention and education
- there will be a 12-month transition period, during which there is a commitment to work with the profession on the changed approach and explore other options to further reduce the administrative burden on both GP practices and patients while ensuring the integrity of Medicare is maintained.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said the college acted swiftly on behalf of members, raising their concerns with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing as well as Federal Health Minister Mark Butler.
‘GPs made it clear that these changes risked disrupting care for some of our most vulnerable patients,’ he said.
‘As a direct result of our advocacy, we welcome Minister Butler’s intervention and his preparedness to work with us to ensure patients’ access to care is not unduly impacted.’
An
update from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) confirmed it had ‘listened to concerns raised by stakeholders’.
‘While there will be greater flexibility in how health providers can obtain patient consent for bulk-billed services, the department recognises this is a significant change for many,’ it said.
Dr Wright said these measures will provide immediate relief for GPs working in aged care and other sectors that would have been most impacted by the reforms and will help ensure continuity of care for patients.
‘Importantly, they reflect a recognition by Government that a one-size-fits-all administrative approach does not work across all care settings,’ he said.
While the amendments are a step in the right direction, Dr Wright said they ‘will not address all concerns raised by our members’, and more work needs to be done.
The RACGP says it will continue working closely with Government to ensure that reforms support both high-quality patient care and sustainable general practice.
‘We will continue advocating for practical alternatives beyond the 12-month transition period to maintain services for patients in care settings where it is not feasible to obtain a patient signature in a timely way, including home visits and patients with disability or acute illness,’ Dr Wright said.
‘The RACGP fully supports measures to uphold the integrity of Medicare. However, unreasonable administrative requirements that disrupt practice workflows and compromise timely access to care are not the way to achieve this.’
The DoHDA also confirmed it will continue to work with stakeholders regarding the changes.
‘Once these regulatory changes are finalised, our compliance approach will be consistent with the department’s health provider compliance strategy,’ it said.
‘The Department will prioritise prevention and education as practitioners work towards adopting new assignment of benefit requirements – within a risk-based approach to its ongoing compliance efforts.
‘We appreciate practitioners’ ongoing dedication to compliance and welcome your suggestions and questions regarding these changes.’
For more information, RACGP members can take part in a dedicated assignment of benefit webinar on Wednesday 24 June at 7.00 pm (AEST). Visit the RACGP website to
register.
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