The federal government has launched a calculator for practice managers and GPs to estimate the financial impact of taking up its incentives to adopt a fully bulk billing model.
The calculator provides practice managers and GPs with tailored income estimates based on their consultation mix, current billing model, location, and concessional patient proportion to support decision-making by comparing different scenarios.
The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program comes into place as of November.
The government estimates that its incentives for clinics to bulk bill 100% of their appointments would boost the number of fully bulk billed practices in Australia to around 4,800 nationally – triple the current number.
Participating practices will receive an additional 12.5% incentive payment on every $1 of MBS benefit earned from eligible services, split between the GP and the practice.
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Every eligible service for every patient in participating practices must be bulk billed in order for the incentive payment to be paid, which will be in addition to MBS benefits paid.
The federal government has claimed GPs who move to 100% bulk billing rates will earn more than average mixed billing GPs.
According to its figures a GP at a city practice that bulk bills every visit would earn over $5,300 more than a mixed billing GP that provides the same number of services.
In rural areas it claims the earning boost is larger, with a GP at a rural practice that bulk bills every visit earning almost $24,000 more than a mixed billing GP for providing the same number of services.
However, questions remain over whether GPs will earn more after factoring in the overhead costs of running a clinic and the equal split of the 12.5% incentive payment.
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Meanwhile, government documents released in recent months revealed 23% of clinics were unlikely to join the program based on financial incentives.
Heath Minister Mark Butler remains confident in the scheme.
“The calculator will help practices and GPs see how mixed billing practices will be better off when they switch to fully bulk billed,” he said.
“We know this investment will work, because it has already worked for the patients the incentive already applies to – pensioners, concession cardholders, and families with kids.”
The calculator is available here.
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