New MBS Items Have They Improved Patient Care?
There are now a large number of new Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers to cover a range of health services that doctors can provide, but there is little published evidence that these new items have improved patient care, according to an editorial in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
The item numbers cover chronic disease management, diabetes annual cycle of care, asthma care plans, health checks for 45-year-olds, older people and refugees, GP mental health care, pregnancy support counselling, and medication management.
Professor Justin Beilby, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Adelaide, says the impact on patient care and the cost effectiveness of these items are not known.
"However, we do know that there has been a relatively low uptake of these items among GPs when compared to the 90 million consultations performed each year in general practice," says Prof Beilby.
He says this low uptake could be related to red tape and a shortage of GPs and trained allied health professionals.
He says a better system requires more than new MBS item numbers to support the health priorities that underpin the item number expansion.
Professor Beilby says the five key elements of a better primary health care system should be:
- Common, agreed goals across all levels of government and local non-government providers
- Financial incentives for general practices to meet agreed practice-based targets for health assessments, diabetes care and chronic disease management
- Financial support for longer patient consultations in general practice
- Greater use of shared e-health patient records among health providers
- Greater use of self management programs and increased access to multidisciplinary care plans for allied health practitioners
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
The original article can be viewed online at www.mja.com.au
CONTACT: Prof Justin Beilby 08 8374 0187/ 0403 017 457