GP corporates warn of ‘catastrophe’ as bulk-billing becomes unsustainable
Shrinking margins and the collapse of Tristar have meant traditional rivals now have a united front
The major GP corporates are warning of a disaster in primary care, saying their margins have shrunk from 13% to 5% in just four years despite more GPs charging gap fees.
The Primary Care Business Council — their new lobby group — says bulk-billing is already on a downward spiral across its eight member corporates, falling from 74% of standard consultations in 2019 to 62% last month.
Dr Ged Foley, CEO of Sonic Clinical Services which runs IPN practices, said the trend was “likely to continue, if not accelerate”.
“We don’t decide whether our doctors privately bill or not — so it’s individual GPs and groups of GPs who are making the decision to move to private billing.”
