GPs bulk-billed 3.8 million more consults in November, health department says
Universally bulk-billing GP practices have more than doubled in several states, according to the health department.
Extending the tripled bulk-billing incentives to all patients has dragged the GP bulk-billing rate from 77.7% to 81.2% in a month, health officials say.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing staff told senators on Thursday that GPs had claimed bulk-billing incentives 10.8 million times in November versus seven million times in October.
Universally bulk-billing GP practices had about doubled in several states, they said, with more than 1000 practices nationwide flipping from mixed billing to universal bulk-billing.
That was based on sign-ups to the Bulk-Billing Practice Incentive Program, which will pay 12.5% loading on most Medicare rebates if practices universally bulk-bill these items over three months.
