New MBS items for care recipients in residential aged care facilities

From 10 December 2020 until 30 June 2022, new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items will be available for care recipients in residential aged care facilities which supports the mental and physical health of aged care residents who has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or the measures taken to contain its spread.

There will be additional temporary items to allow care recipients of a residential aged care facility to increase the amount of selected Medicare subsidised chronic disease management plan allied health services, and enable residential care recipients to access allied health group services.

The new MBS items for care recipients in a residential aged care facility replicate the existing face to face and telehealth items for allied health chronic disease management plan services, indigenous follow up services for eligible patients who have received a health assessment, and group assessment services. There will also be new temporary residential aged care facility MBS items that permit residential care recipients to access up to 10 services per calendar year for selected physical therapy services, including exercise physiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.

In addition, new temporary face-to-face MBS items will be introduced for care recipients of a residential aged care facility for longer initial individual allied health chronic disease management services and initial Indigenous follow up services.

There will also be additional new items for the creation and review of a mental health treatment plan specific to care recipients of residential aged care facilities. These changes will provide access for care recipients in residential aged care facilities with access to the existing individual mental health treatment services and where necessary provide residential care recipients with access to the additional 10 individual treatment services that were introduced in August 2020.

Botox Item 18361

From 1 December 2020, amendments to MBS item 18361 for the treatment of moderate to severe upper limb spasticity due to cerebral palsy will enable Medicare benefits to be paid for injection of the patients who meet the same criteria as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) listed medicines.The changes to item 18361 will include adding Clostridium Botulinum Type A Toxin-Haemagglutinin Complex (Dysport®) as an acceptable alternative treatment, and a patient who is at least 18 years of age no longer has to have commenced treatment for the spasticity with botulinum toxin supplied under the PBS, as is currently outlined in part (b) of the existing MBS descriptor.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging

From 1 December 2020, substitute nuclear medicine items (61311, 61332, 61333, 61336, 61337, 61341 and 61344) will recommence to allow patients continued access to certain nuclear medicine services during a disruption in the supply of radiopharmaceuticals resulting in shortages. Two items will be amended (61311 and 61332) and five new substitute items (61365, 61377, 61380, 61418 and 61422) will commence to align with changes made to cardiac services on 1 August 2020 and 15 September 2020. This will ensure that patients are able to access appropriate nuclear medicine items during the current shortage of nuclear medicine isotopes.

The items will be available until 28 February 2021. If the supply of nuclear medicine isotopes stabilises earlier, then this date will be brought forward. Alternatively, this date can be extended if supply is not stabilised.

New items from 10 December 2020	941 942 2733 2735 90003 90004 93287 93288 93291 93292 93312 93313 93316 93319 93322 93323 93326 93327 93375 93376 93381 93382 93383 93384 93385 93386 93400 93401 93402 93403 93404 93405 93406 93407 93408 93409 93410 93411 93421 93422 93423 93431 93432 93433 93434 93435 93436 93437 93438 93439 93440 93441 93442 93451 93452 93453 93469 93470 93475 93479 93501 93502 93503 93504 93505 93506 93507 93508 93509 93510 93511 93512 93513 93518 93519 93520 93524 93525 93526 93527 93528 93529 93530 93531 93532 93533 93534 93535 93536 93537 93538 93546 93547 93548 93549 93550 93551 93552 93553 93554 93555 93556 93557 93558 93571 93572 93573 93579 93580 93581 93582 93583 93584 93585 93586 93587 93588 93589 93590 93591 93592 93593 93606 93607 93608 93613 93614 93615 93620
Amended items from 10 December 2020	90001 90002
Amended Items from 1 December 2020	18361
Recommenced items from 1 December 2020 NOTE: * means that the descriptor has also been amended	61311(*) 61332(*) 61333 61336 61337 61341 61344
New Items from 1 December 2020	61365 61377 61380 61418 61422