After-hours announcement welcomed by rural medical college

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (the College) has welcomed the Federal Governments acknowledgement of the unique needs and circumstances of rural and remote medical practitioners and the communities they serve in today’s announcements regarding MBS rebates for after-hours services.

An outcome of the MBS Review Taskforce, the announcement of a differential payment system through Medicare for urgent after-hours visits by doctors, aims to reduce urban-based Medical Deputising Services’ (MDS’s) provision of care, which is not integrated into a continuity of care model, and to claim urgent after-hours items for non-urgent care.

Importantly, the change will not impact the current arrangements for Modified Monash Model (MMM) classification areas 3-7, which includes the vast majority of rural and remote areas.

College President Associate Prof Ruth Stewart said: “The College is strongly committed to the provision of high quality after hours care as an essential component of rural generalist practice in that is focuses on meeting the needs of the community.

“After hours services in rural and remote areas are usually directly provided by local practitioners. In many cases, doctors are rostered to attend any after-hours presentations at the local hospital.

“After hours services are strongly supported in rural and remote areas, where they’re an excellent model in terms of providing continuity of care for the benefit of rural and remote community members.”

The College thanks the Federal Government and the MBS Review Taskforce for their continued support of rural and remote areas.