Overview

• Cleanbill projects a 55% increase in fully bulk-billing GP clinics, adding 740 for a total of 2,081 by November 1.
• The government’s $7.9 billion expansion aims to lift the number of fully bulk-billing practices to 4,800 nationwide.
• From November, clinics that bulk bill every patient will receive a 12.5% rebate on each consultation plus variable payments based on remoteness.
• Mark Butler calls the report’s phone-poll methodology flawed and says its data are unsuitable for policymaking.
• Most GP clinics are in metropolitan areas where the new Medicare payments remain about $16 below average consultation costs, potentially passing fees onto patients.