Medicare items for Indigenous health assessments ‘probably don’t work’: GP
A leading Aboriginal health GP is calling for a revamp of MBS items for Aboriginal health checks, arguing there is little evidence they have improved outcomes.
The Federal Government introduced the health assessments (MBS item 715) in 1999 to help reduce morbidity and early mortality among Indigenous patients by detecting and treating common conditions earlier.
“All the carrots and all the sticks in the health system are geared towards promoting an intervention that probably doesn’t work,” Dr Tim Senior wrote in a column published in the British Journal of General Practice this month.
The health assessments can take up to an hour, and include taking a patient history, assessing physical, psychological and social wellbeing, and conducting specific examinations, such as trachoma checks or STI tests, depending on the age of the patient.
