Study debunks the myth of 'low-value' GP consultations
Even the most routine consult is clinically valuable — despite what pollies claim
19th February 2018
So-called low-value GP consults, routinely condemned as a waste of money by politicians, policy wonks and bureaucrats, are actually a myth, Australian research shows.
Two years ago, the RACGP launched the #justaGP campaign after then health minister Sussan Ley used an MBS Review Taskforce report to suggest that GPs were performing pointless consults and should only be funded for performing “clinically relevant” tasks.
“If the government is paying, effectively, too much for small appointments that aren’t necessarily adding to a person’s overall health ... that money does need to