An MBS item for GPs to order a faecal calprotectin test to rule out IBD will be introduced in November following a federal budget commitment.

GPs will be able to order the test (schedule fee of $75) for patients after more than six weeks of relevant symptoms, so long as an infectious diseases cause has been excluded and the patient is unlikely to have cancer.

Only patients aged 50 or younger will qualify, however, because of the risk in older patients of an alternative diagnosis of bowel cancer, according to the federal Department of Health.

Funding for the test, which can cost up to $100 privately, will be limited to one per patient per 12 months, with a separate MBS item allowing gastroenterologists to perform a follow-up test if the initial findings are unclear.