Medicare Benefits Schedule - Note GN.12.30

Search Results for Note GN.12.30

General Explanatory Notes

GN.12.30

Professional services

Professional services which attract Medicare benefits include medical services rendered by or "on behalf of" a medical practitioner.  The latter include services where a part of the service is performed by a technician employed by or, in accordance with accepted medical practice, acting under the supervision of the medical practitioner. 

The following medical services will attract benefits only if they have been personally performed by a medical practitioner on not more than one patient on the one occasion (i.e. two or more patients cannot be attended simultaneously, although patients may be seen consecutively), unless a group session is involved (i.e. Items 170‑172).  The requirement of "personal performance" is met whether or not essential assistance is provided, according to accepted medical practice:- 

(a) Category 1 (Professional Attendances) items except 170‑172, 342-346, 820-880, 6029–6042, 6064-6075;

(b) Each of the following items in Group D1 (Miscellaneous Diagnostic):- 11012, 11015, 11018, 11021, 11304, 11600, 11627, 11705, 11724, 11728, 11729, 11730, 11731, 11921, 12000, 12003;

(c) All Group T1 (Miscellaneous Therapeutic) items (except 13020, 13025, 13200-13206, 13212-13221, 13703, 13706, 13750-13760, 13950, 14050, 14221 and 14245);

(d) Item 15600 in Group T2 (Radiation Oncology);

(e) All Group T3 (Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine) items;

(f) All Group T4 (Obstetrics) items (except 16400 and 16514);

(g) All Group T6 (Anaesthetics) items;

(h) All Group T7 (Regional or Field Nerve Block) items;

(i) All Group T8 (Operations) items;

(j) All Group T9 (Assistance at Operations) items;

(k) All Group T10 (Relative Value Guide for Anaesthetics) items. 

For the group psychotherapy and family group therapy services covered by Items 170, 171, 172,  342, 344 and 346, benefits are payable only if the services have been conducted personally by the medical practitioner. 

Medicare benefits are not payable for these group items or any of the items listed in (a) ‑ (k) above when the service is rendered by a medical practitioner employed by the proprietor of a hospital (not being a private hospital), except where the practitioner is exercising their right of private practice, or is performing a medical service outside the hospital.  For example, benefits are not paid when a hospital intern or registrar performs a service at the request of a staff specialist or visiting medical officer. 

Medicare benefits are only payable for items 12306 - 12322 (Bone Densitometry) when the service is performed by a specialist or consultant physician in the practice of the specialist's or consultant physician's specialty where the patient is referred by another medical practitioner.


Legend

  • Assist - Addition/Deletion of (Assist.)
  • Amend - Amended Description
  • Anaes - Anaesthetic Values Amended
  • Emsn - EMSN Change
  • Fee - Fee Amended
  • Renum - Item Number Change (renumbered)
  • New - New Item
  • NewMin - New Item (previous Ministerial Determination)
  • Qfe - QFE Change