The federal Department of Health has defended a 23% slump in Medicare claims for ECGs following rebate cuts for GPs, saying it reflects a “decrease in low-value ECG services” being provided.  

Last August, GPs were banned from claiming item 11700 for tracing and reporting results of a 12-lead ECG. 

Item 11700 had a rebate of $27.45. But as a result of the change, GPs were restricted to a new item that only covered the tracing itself, with a rebate of $16.15. 

Items remained for other specialists, but the result was an immediate drop-off in tests by all doctors compared with the previous six months, new MBS data revealed.