Govt to ‘recalibrate’ GP Medicare items for COVID-19 vaccinations
The Department of Health's Dr Lucas de Toca says the government is listening to GPs' concerns
The Federal Government is looking to “recalibrate” the MBS items for COVID-19 vaccinations so GPs can spend more time discussing the risks and benefits with patients.
The pledge comes in the wake of two suspected cases of rare but potentially fatal thrombotic events in patients who received the AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine.
The changes being discussed with the AMA and RACGP could mean the introduction of additional MBS items for longer pre-vaccination assessments — the current items are based on level A consults.
Another option is allowing GPs to co-claim the vaccine items with standard consultation items.
