20 April 2020 (Covid-19) MBS Item Update
The 20 April 2020 (COVID-19) MBS item update is now available to download.
Please read through all these notes prior to running your item update.
If you are prompted, please update your Medcomms.
Current annual support customers can download the new fees via the item update button in Impulse. If you are unsure of this process, you can find the instructions here: https://support.mednet.com.au/portal/kb/articles/updating-items
Summary of Changes
From 20 April 2020:
Bulk-billing:
Specialists and allied health providers are no longer required to bulk-bill COVID-19 telehealth (video conference) and telephone consultations where the service is provided to a concessional or vulnerable patient or a child under 16. Specialists and allied health providers may continue their usual billing practices.
GPs and Other Medical Practitioners must continue to bulk-bill the COVID-19 telehealth and telephone consultation services where the service is provided to a concessional or vulnerable patient or a child under 16 at the time the service is provided. For all other patients, these services may be bulk-billed.
Bulk-billing incentives items:
Bulk-billing incentives items are currently available for medical services for patients who are either under 16 years old, or who are a concessional beneficiary (items 10990, 10991 and 10992).
Two new bulk-billing incentive items are now available where a medical service is provided to a vulnerable patient:
- item 10981 mirrors the current item 10990 metropolitan
- item 10982 mirrors the current item 10991 regional
The new bulk-billing incentive items 10981 and 10982 can be claimed with face-to-face attendances or with the new COVID-19 telehealth and telephone services, where the conditions of the bulk-billing incentives are met.
New telehealth items:
24 new telehealth items are now available for specialists: six new items for consultant psychiatrists (mirroring the existing items 342, 344 and 346), eight new items for public health physicians (mirroring items 410, 411, 412 and 413) and 10 new items for neurosurgeons (mirroring items 6007, 6009, 6011, 6013 and 6015)
4 new telehealth items are now available for a practice nurse or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner (mirroring items 10987 and 10997)
Bulk-billing:
Specialists and allied health providers are no longer required to bulk-bill COVID-19 telehealth (video conference) and telephone consultations where the service is provided to a concessional or vulnerable patient or a child under 16. Specialists and allied health providers may continue their usual billing practices.
GPs and Other Medical Practitioners must continue to bulk-bill the COVID-19 telehealth and telephone consultation services where the service is provided to a concessional or vulnerable patient or a child under 16 at the time the service is provided. For all other patients, these services may be bulk-billed.
Bulk-billing incentives items:
Bulk-billing incentives items are currently available for medical services for patients who are either under 16 years old, or who are a concessional beneficiary (items 10990, 10991 and 10992).
Two new bulk-billing incentive items are now available where a medical service is provided to a vulnerable patient:
- item 10981 mirrors the current item 10990 metropolitan
- item 10982 mirrors the current item 10991 regional
The new bulk-billing incentive items 10981 and 10982 can be claimed with face-to-face attendances or with the new COVID-19 telehealth and telephone services, where the conditions of the bulk-billing incentives are met.
New telehealth items:
24 new telehealth items are now available for specialists: six new items for consultant psychiatrists (mirroring the existing items 342, 344 and 346), eight new items for public health physicians (mirroring items 410, 411, 412 and 413) and 10 new items for neurosurgeons (mirroring items 6007, 6009, 6011, 6013 and 6015)
4 new telehealth items are now available for a practice nurse or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner (mirroring items 10987 and 10997)
The complete list of telehealth items is available on the COVID-19 news page.
| SPECIALIST, CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN AND PSYCHIATRIST ATTENDANCES for COVID-19 (these items are included in numerical order in the table of Specialists items on the COVID-19 news page) These services are for non-admitted patients Consultant psychiatrist | |||
| * Group psychotherapy of not less than 1 hour (2-9 unrelated patients or a family group of more than 3 patients) | 342 | 92455 | 92495 |
| * Group psychotherapy of not less than 1 hour (family group of 3 patients) | 344 | 92456 | 92496 |
| * Group psychotherapy of not less than 1 hour (family group of 2 patients) | 346 | 92457 | 92497 |
| PUBLIC HEALTH PHYSICIAN ATTENDANCES for COVID-19 These services are for non-admitted patients | |||
| Service | Existing Items face to face | COVID-19 Telehealth items video-conference | COVID-19 Telephone items – for when video-conferencing is not available |
| * Public health physician, Level A, simple and straightforward | 410 | 92513 | 92521 |
| * Public health physician, Level B, less than 20 minutes | 411 | 92514 | 92522 |
| * Public health physician, Level C, lasting at least 20 minutes | 412 | 92515 | 92523 |
| * Public health physician, Level D, lasting at least 40 minutes | 413 | 92516 | 92524 |
| NEUROSURGERY ATTENDANCES for COVID-19 These services are for non-admitted patients | |||
| Service | Existing Items face to face | COVID-19 Telehealth items video-conference | COVID-19 Telephone items – for when video-conferencing is not available |
| * Neurosurgeon, initial attendance | 6007 | 92610 | 92617 |
| * Neurosurgeon, minor attendance | 6009 | 92611 | 92618 |
| * Neurosurgeon, subsequent attendance, 15 - 30 minutes | 6011 | 92612 | 92619 |
| * Neurosurgeon, subsequent attendance, 30 - 45 minutes | 6013 | 92613 | 92620 |
| * Neurosurgeon, subsequent attendance, more than 45 minutes | 6015 | 92614 | 92621 |
| ATTENDANCES for COVID-19 Services Provided By A Practice Nurse Or Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner On Behalf Of A Medical Practitioner These services are for non-admitted patients | |||
 | Existing Items face to face | COVID-19 Telehealth items video-conference | COVID-19 Telephone items – for when video-conferencing is not available |
| * Follow up service for an Indigenous person who has received a health assessment | 10987 | 93200 | 93202 |
| * Service provided to a person with a chronic disease | 10997 | 93201 | 93203 |