A leading cervical screening expert is urging GPs to review the new Medicare criteria for self-collected HPV DNA samples to avoid patients being hit with an unexpected pathology bill.

From 1 July, GPs can offer all women in the National Cervical Screening Program the option of vaginal self-swabbing, whereas previously this was restricted to women aged 30-plus who were at least two years overdue for screening.

Although welcome, the change came with new criteria that could trip up GPs, warned Professor Marion Saville, the executive director of the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer.

“I do urge GPs to be aware of the new Medicare item requirement that patients must not have had a negative HPV screening test in the previous 57 months,” she said.