Call for Medicare to fund GPs to seek specialist advice
The recommendation is one of many in a new Grattan Institute report on how to curb out-of-pocket costs
GPs should be funded to source advice from other specialists over the phone, according to a think-tank’s plan to rein in escalating out-of-pocket costs for patients.
The average gap fee for a non-GP specialist appointment has jumped from $50 to $100 in real terms during the past 10 years, the Grattan Institute says.
It has recommended a number of measures to reduce this gap, including a so-called “secondary consultation scheme” where primary health networks would keep other specialists on retainers to answer GPs’ questions.
This would potentially avoid the need for a referral.
