UCCs five times more expensive than standard GP consult: Report

Medicare urgent care clinics (UCCs) are five times more expensive than a standard GP consult, according to a long-awaited evaluation.
 
Released on Thursday, the ‘Evaluation of the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics: Interim Evaluation Report 1’ offers early insights into the operation of the relatively new initiative.
 
Its findings are based on information available from the establishment of the first clinics on 30 June 2023 through to 30 September 2024, which considers 75 of the 87 clinics.
 
During this time, there were 784,071 presentations to UCCs, with children under the age of 15 accounting for 28% of these.
 
The median wait time was 14.5 minutes, which the report explained is shorter than the median waiting times at emergency departments (EDs) for triage category four (31 minutes), and category five (24 minutes).
 
The evaluation also showed 84% of patients returned home after receiving care, 5% were referred to an ED, and 10% were redirected to their usual GP.
 
But the interim report has also shed light, for the first time, on the cost of the clinics, finding that each presentation costs $246.50.
 
The RACGP says this is five times higher than a standard GP consult, and their value in addressing Australia’s patient care challenges remains unclear. 
 
‘This sum is cheaper than a visit to a hospital emergency department; however, it’s significantly more expensive than a standard GP consult, which costs taxpayers a little over $42,’ said RACGP President Dr Michael Wright.
 
He said the interim report validated many of the RACGP’s concerns regarding urgent care clinics and has left many questions unanswered. 
 
‘The report confirms what we already knew, urgent care clinics are an expensive model of care, which could be better and more efficiently delivered through existing general practices,’ Dr Wright said. 
 
‘The Government’s election commitment to roll out more urgent care clinics will mean more than $1 billion will be spent on setting up these clinics.’
 
Another concern raised by the RACGP is the risk of fragmented care, as patients move between health services.
 
The evaluation’s Commissioners report apprehension from many local GPs who raised concerns that they would lose staff and patients to the UCCs due to them offering bulk-billed care and a ‘fear that they may not hand patients back to their regular GP after the urgent episode’.
 
‘Commissioners also received feedback from some local GPs that they had not received clinical handovers when patients have attended Medicare UCCs, negatively impacting continuity of care,’ the report said.
 
According to the report, just 68% of patient presentations had an electronic discharge summary to their usual GP.
 
‘This constitutes inadequate clinical handover; because without this information, a GP may not even know that their patient went to an urgent care clinic, let alone what health issue they were being treated for,’ Dr Wright said.
 
‘If the transfer of care isn’t done properly and in a timely way, there is a risk of fragmenting care, which results in poorer patient health outcomes, including preventable hospitalisations.
 
‘Proper clinical handover is particularly important for patients who have multiple, chronic health conditions that must be carefully monitored by a GP they know and trust.’
 
However, the report stated that based on available evidence, ‘it is too early to provide a balanced assessment of how satisfied patients are with Medicare UCCs and the extent to which Medicare UCCs are providing a positive experience for patients and carers’.
 
It is this lack of clarity that the RACGP says is a cause for concern, with the Federal Labor Party promising to invest more than $600 million to establish a further 50 clinics if re-elected.
 
While some GPs have expressed support for the clinics, many are now raising concerns about their potential to negatively impact and strain the already limited GP workforce.
 
A recent newsGP poll showed 79% of 1536 respondents agreed the Federal Government’s promise to rollout the extra 50 UCCs will place ‘additional strain or negatively impact the already limited GP workforce’. Only 12% disagreed, and 8% said they were unsure.
 
Dr Wright said this comes at a time when Australia’s GP workforce is stretched, particularly in rural and remote areas. 
 
‘We value the work that our members are doing in urgent care clinics and will continue to support them – they’re playing a key role in keeping patients in their community healthy,’ he said.
 
‘Our concerns relate to the cost of these clinics, fragmented patient care, and how they will be staffed.  
 
‘GP workforce pressures must always be front of mind for government, and we’re concerned about the impact of urgent care clinics on the viability and workforce needs of general practice.
 
‘There is a risk these clinics are creating competition for an already stretched GP workforce.’
 
The interim evaluation also found 46% of patients said they would have sought care at an ED if the UCC was unavailable, increasing to 49% after hours.
 
It showed that on weekdays, 62 clinics (83%) are open at 8:00 am and 41 (55%) close at 8:00 pm or later, while on weekends, 60 UCCs (80%) open at 8:00 am and 35 clinics (47%) close at 8:00 pm or later.
 
Thursday’s evaluation will be followed by an Interim Evaluation Report 2 in late 2025 and a Final Evaluation Report in 2026. 
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

bulk billing continuity of care federal election fragmented care Medicare UCCs Urgent care clinics