Fear of Medicare audits ‘leading GPs to under-bill’ for their care
Researchers claim they lack adequate education on correct billing practices
GPs are “billing defensively” and losing income because they are confused about the legalities of the MBS, it has been claimed.
A decade ago, the then director of the PSR, Dr Tony Webber, alleged that up to 15% of Medicare claims were technically non-compliant, with deliberate abuse by doctors a major factor.
But the reality is less sinister, say academics from the University of Technology, Sydney, who interviewed 27 GPs and other specialists about their billing practices.
All but one felt their education on the workings of Medicare had been inadequate, with formal lessons typically limited to a single session at the beginning of GP training.
