The senior GP on the MBS Review Taskforce has defended its proposed shake-up of care plan funding, declaring the current model “is not working well for all patients”.

In a letter to Australian Doctor, the task force’s deputy chair Dr Steve Hambleton argues governments need to prioritise reforming the way general practice is funded through Medicare to support, rather than impede, best practice.

However, the Brisbane GP and former AMA president concedes the controversial recommendation to introduce a time restriction to ensure practice staff spend a minimum of 40 minutes in front of a patient to claim Medicare item 721 is not set in stone.

He asks: “Is 30 minutes more appropriate? The [committee] knows it must not be two minutes, so we are looking to the public consultation to help inform an appropriate timeframe.”