The College is working to respond to the Nurse Practitioner Reference Group report from the MBS Review Taskforce. We would value member input into this report.

The Nurse Practitioner Reference Group report has made recommendations around:

Supporting comprehensive and coordinated care for people with long-term conditions and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders

  • Enable patients to access MBS rebates for long-term and primary care management provided by NPs

  • Improve access to MBS rebates for NPs in aged care settings

  • Enable some medication management reviews to be initiated by NPs

Enabling nurse practitioner care for all Australians

  • Significantly increase the scheduled fee assigned to current MBS NP professional items

  • Create a new MBS item for longer NP attendances to support the delivery of complex and comprehensive care

  • Enable to patients to access MBS rebates for after-hours or emergency care provided by NPs

Addressing system inefficiencies caused by current MBS arrangements

  • Remove the mandated requirement for NPs to form collaborative arrangements

  • Remove current restrictions on diagnostic imaging referrals

Improving patient access to telehealth services by expanding the scope of providers eligible to participate in consultations, and by broadening modes of communication

  • Add GPs as eligible participants in NP patient-side telehealth services

  • Add patients in community aged care settings to residential aged care telehealth items

  • Create new MBS items for direct NP-to-patient telehealth consultations

  • Allow telehealth consultations to take place via telephone where clinically appropriate

A full copy of the report is available online.

Comments are welcome at any time but will need to be received by Friday, 26 April, to allow for consideration.  Please provide these to policy@acrrm.org.au