In the recent Federal Budget, the government announced that it would be “tripling the incentive paid to doctors who bulk bill certain patients”. The medical profession and the Government are hopeful that increasing access to free consultations with a GP will help reduce the pressure on emergency departments by encouraging people to see their general practitioner, rather than relying on an emergency department for basic health care.
The Federal Budget was recently announced, and health was one of the most anticipated topics.
For years now, we have seen overwhelmed emergency departments in state-owned hospitals struggling to keep up with the increased volume of patients due to factors like the Covid-19 pandemic, the increasing cost of living (including the high cost of GP visits) and poor accessibility to primary care/general practitioners.
Emergency department presentations have increased from 8.01 million in 2017-18 to 8.79 million in 2021-22. This represents an increase of 2.3% per year.
Emergency departments are often understaffed and under-resourced to deal with demand. This is heightened by the volume of patient complaints which would and should more properly be dealt with by general practitioners. In an overwhelmed emergency department, staff shortages and patient acuity may lead to significant delays in treatment, diagnostic errors, and otherwise poor treatment.
In the Budget, the Government announced that it proposed “tripling the incentive paid to doctors who bulk bill certain patients”. Doctors and the Government are hopeful that increasing access to free consultations with a GP will help reduce the pressure on emergency departments by encouraging people to see their general practitioner for basic health care, not the stretched hospital emergency departments.
The changes are expected to benefit 5.1 million children who are under the age of 16 and 7.9 million concession card holders.
We think this is a step in the right direction and are hopeful that patients and emergency departments experience a tangible reduction of ‘non-emergency’ health complaints.
If you want to read more about the incentive click the link here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-10/budget-2023-medicare-and-bulk-billing-doctors-changes-costs/102324460
