Should GPs worry that the govt’s re-engineered rebates for chronic disease management plans are a big mystery?
Dr John Deery says up-front funding helps cover practice nurses talking lifestyle changes with patients.
Many GPs forgot about the Federal Government’s promise to axe the $130 team care arrangement item back in 2023, until last month’s news that the axe would swing on 1 November.
The items have long been seen as a headache — an exercise in red tape and form filling rather than a mechanism to fund care that patients need.
But along with items 721 and 732, the money flowing through them has helped to keep the business of general practice viable through darker times.
The government’s intention is to ditch item 723 for team care arrangements, then make the rebates for reviewing a care plan the same as for creating it, to ensure financial incentives for patient follow-up.
