Medicare should fund allied health referrals direct to specialists, govt review suggests
Specialists will be free to treat patients under Medicare without a referral from a GP, a Federal Government Scope of Practice Review has suggested.
The review, Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce, has already alarmed GPs, who say its ideas risk care fragmentation and potential cost blowouts in the Medicare budget.
Headed by former civil servant Professor Mark Cormack, the review last week released a 120-page issues paper which says non-doctors should be able to order imaging and diagnostic tests as well as refer directly to specialists under Medicare.
“GPs are expected to be less burdened by low-value episodes of care where the consumer seeking a referral has already been instructed to do so by a relevant health professional,” it states.
