Medicare item for ambulatory BP monitoring gets green light

Expert committee says the test is the 'gold standard' for hypertension diagnosis in primary care

GPs could soon access Medicare funding for ambulatory BP monitoring, after the Federal Government’s expert committee concluded the “gold standard” test was being underused because of cost.

Despite being the most accurate test for diagnosing hypertension, the investigation remains a relative rarity in primary care, the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) said in its report last month.