The after-hours GP boom has well and truly busted
After record highs, government spending has quickly plummeted to a four-year low
18th May 2018
The boom in after-hours general practice has been well and truly busted by the Federal Government's crackdown.
Statistics released on Thursday reveal that Medicare spending on after-hours GP services in March fell to less than $12 million — the lowest monthly spend in four years.
March happened to be the month that deputising services were banned from advertising their services direct to patients, and non-VR GPs working in the cities were hit with a $30 cut in Medicare rebates for after-hours consults.