AMA Fees List
Staying on top of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) is a full-time job, with hundreds of items subject to changes each year. Thankfully, the AMA Fees List Team is dedicated to understanding the impact of those changes on practice costs and integrating that data into its Fees List. The 1 November 2022 update to the AMA Fees List is now available.
What is the AMA Fees List?
AMA started publishing the Fees List in 1974, to provide costing assistance and guidance for AMA members. These days, the list is delivered exclusively online. The Fees List is not a recommended fee and each practice remains responsible for determining its own fees.
Who can access the Fees List?
The list is the intellectual property of the AMA and a key part of the package of benefits provided to AMA members. Non-members need to pay a licence fee to access the Fees List. The licence fees have been designed to accommodate arrangements where a practice includes both AMA members and non-members. The Fees List team are there to provide support if you have any queries about the Fees List or the licence fees.
How are the fees determined?
The Fees List team is in regular conversation with the Federal Department of Health, which provides advance notice of any likely changes to the MBS. The team then consults with a range of specialty groups to get their advice on how the items are likely to work in everyday clinical practice, and how those considerations impact the costs of providing medical care. The Fees List is also overseen by a committee of clinical experts.
How often does the Fees List change?
An indexed Fees List, informed by changes in the Consumer Price and Wage Price Indices, comes out on 1 November each year. It is also updated periodically throughout the year in response to changes initiated by the Federal Department of Health and through advice from clinical experts through the AMA, medical colleges, associations and societies.
What’s in the latest update?
An update to 247 items on the AMA Fees List came into effect on 1 November 2022 to reflect changes that occurred on the MBS from 1 March 2022 to 1 August 2022. The changes include 36 new items, 126 descriptors amended, 61 deleted and 21 revised fees.
How has the website changed?
As part of the November update, the AMA has taken the opportunity to refresh and modernise the website to improve users’ experience, including a mobile-friendly format. Underlying functionality and content remain the same.
