More practices could close as bulk-billing rates hit all-time high, warns AMA
The ongoing pandemic means GPs will continue to minimise fees for struggling patients, says vice president Dr Chris Moy
Bulk-billing rates have reached an all-time high, a record the AMA believes signals an ongoing threat to the viability of some GP practices.
Figures for the six months to December 2020 reveal the bulk-billing rate for GP services reached 89.3%, or 7.4 percentage points higher than the same period in 2012/13.
The rate was even higher in NSW and Victoria, the two states with the most coronavirus cases, reaching 91.1% and 90.6% respectively.
Medicare has paid GPs benefits for 993,700 COVID-19 video consult and 36 million COVID-19 telephone consults.
