Medicare Benefits Schedule - Item 4

Professional attendance by a general practitioner (other than attendance at consulting rooms or a residential aged care facility or a service to which another item in the table applies) that requires a short patient history and, if necessary, limited examination and management-an attendance on one or more patients at one place on one occasion-each patient

The fee for item 3, plus $28.85 divided by the number of patients seen, up to a maximum of six patients. For seven or more patients - the fee for item 3 plus $2.30 per patient.
Ready Reckoner

(See para AN.0.9, AN.0.11, AN.0.13 of explanatory notes to this Category)

Extended Medicare Safety Net Cap: 300% of the Derived fee for this item, or $500, whichever is the lesser amount

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Items 3-4, 23-24, 36-37, 44, 47, 193, 195, 197, 199, 585, 594, 599, 2497-2559, 5000-5067 and 90020-90051 relate to attendances rendered by medical practitioners who are:

-          listed on the Vocational Register of General Practitioners maintained by Services Australia; or

-          holders of the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) who participate in, and meet the requirements of the RACGP for continuing medical education and quality assurance as defined in the RACGP Continuing Professional Development Program; or

-          holders of the Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) who participate in, and meet the requirements of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) for continuing medical education and quality assurance as defined in ACRRM's Professional Development Program; or

-          undertaking an approved placement in general practice as part of a training program for general practice leading to the award of the FRACGP or training recognised by the RACGP as being of an equivalent standard; or

-          undertaking an approved placement in general practice as part of a training program for general practice leading to the award of the FACRRM or training recognised by ACRRM as being of an equivalent standard. 

To assist general practitioners in selecting the appropriate item number for Medicare benefit purposes the following notes in respect of the various levels are given. 

LEVEL A

A Level A item will be used for obvious and straightforward cases and this should be reflected in the practitioner's records.  In this context, the practitioner should undertake the necessary examination of the affected part if required, and note the action taken. 

LEVEL B

A Level B item will be used for a consultation lasting less than 20 minutes for cases that are not obvious or straightforward in relation to one or more health related issues.  The medical practitioner may undertake all or some of the tasks set out in the item descriptor as clinically relevant, and this should be reflected in the practitioner's record.  In the item descriptor singular also means plural and vice versa. 

LEVEL C

A Level C item will be used for a consultation lasting at least 20 minutes for cases in relation to one or more health related issues.  The medical practitioner may undertake all or some of the tasks set out in the item descriptor as clinically relevant, and this should be reflected in the practitioner's record.  In the item descriptor singular also means plural and vice versa. 

LEVEL D

A Level D item will be used for a consultation lasting at least 40 minutes for cases in relation to one or more health related issues.  The medical practitioner may undertake all or some of the tasks set out in the item descriptor as clinically relevant, and this should be reflected in the practitioner's record. In the item descriptor singular also means plural and vice versa. 

Creating and Updating a My Health Record

The time spent by a medical practitioner on the following activities may be counted towards the total consultation time:

· Reviewing a patient's clinical history, in the patient's file and/or the My Health Record, and preparing or updating a Shared Health Summary where it involves the exercise of clinical judgement about what aspects of the clinical history are relevant to inform ongoing management of the patient's care by other providers; or

· Preparing an Event Summary for the episode of care.

Preparing or updating a Shared Health Summary and preparing an Event Summary are clinically relevant activities.  When either of these activities are undertaken with any form of patient history taking and/or the other clinically relevant activities that can form part of a consultation, the item that can be billed is the one with the time period that matches the total consultation time. 

MBS rebates are not available for creating or updating a Shared Health Summary as a stand alone service. 

Counselling or Advice to Patients or Relatives

For items 23-24, 36-37, 44, 47 and 5020 to 5067 'implementation of a management plan' includes counselling services. 

Items 3-4, 23-24, 36-37, 44, 47, 193, 195, 197, 199, 585, 594, 599, 2497-2559, 5000-5067 and 90020-90051 include advice to patients and/or relatives during the course of an attendance. The advising of relatives at a later time does not extend the time of attendance. 

Recording Clinical Notes

In relation to the time taken in recording appropriate details of the service, only clinical details recorded at the time of the attendance count towards the time of consultation.  It does not include information added at a later time, such as reports of investigations. 

Other Services at the Time of Attendance

Where, during the course of a single attendance by a general practitioner, both a consultation and another medical service are rendered, Medicare benefits are generally payable for both the consultation and the other service. Exceptions are in respect of medical services which form part of the normal consultative process, or services which include a component for the associated consultation (see the General Explanatory Notes for further information on the interpretation of the Schedule). 

For more information, please see the Guideline for substantiating that a patient attended a service on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Related Items: 3 4 23 24 36 37 44 47 193 195 197 199 585 594 599 5000 5003 5010 5020 5023 5028 5040 5043 5049 5060 5063 5067 90020 90035 90043 90051

For the purposes of these items an "institution" means a place (not being a hospital or residential aged care facility) at which residential accommodation or day care or both such accommodation and such care is made available to:‑

(a)              disadvantaged children;

(b)              juvenile offenders;

(c)              aged persons;

(d)              chronically ill psychiatric patients;

(e)              homeless persons;

(f)               unemployed persons;

(g)              persons suffering from alcoholism;

(h)              persons addicted to drugs; or

(i)               physically or intellectually disabled persons.

To facilitate assessment of the correct Medicare rebate in respect of a number of patients attended on the one occasion at one of the above locations, it is important that the total number of patients seen be recorded on each individual account, receipt or assignment form. For example, where ten patients were visited (for a brief consultation) in the one facility on the one occasion, each account, receipt or assignment form would show "Item 4 - 1 of 10 patients" for a general practitioner. 

The number of patients seen should not include attendances which do not attract a Medicare rebate (e.g. public in-patients, attendances for normal after-care), or where a Medicare rebate is payable under an item other than these derived fee items (e.g. health assessments, care planning, emergency after-hours attendance - first patient).
 

Related Items: 4 24 37 47 5003 5023 5043 5063 5220 5223 5227 5228

These items refer to attendances on patients admitted to a hospital. Where medical practitioners have made arrangements with a local hospital to routinely use out-patient facilities to see their private patients, items for services provided in consulting rooms would apply.

Related Items: 4 24 37 47