The upcoming Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program payments will be split down the middle between GPs and practices, the government announced Friday.
From 1 November, practices that universally bulk bill all patients will be eligible for a 12.5% incentive payment on every $1 of MBS benefit earned from eligible services.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the decision to divide the payment evenly came after close consultation between doctors and practices —adding he’d heard arguments that doctors should get all of the money — as well as that practices should get all the money.
“We think that is the right balance. Individual doctors should be rewarded for taking a decision to bulk bill every patient that they see, but also we need to make this work for the practice themselves,” he said.
While less than half of over 1500 GPs in a national Healthed poll felt that GPs should get 100% of the new bulk billing PIP, just 31% thought it should be an even split.
RACGP president Dr Michael Wright called the decision “disappointing,” stating outright that the government hadn’t listened to the College’s advice. The College had pushed for the full incentive payment to go to GPs, who would then share with the practices according to their individual arrangements.
Several GPs in Healthed’s survey suggested a 70/30 split, with the bulk going to the doctors. Many said that the payment should be split according to existing contracts and previously agreed upon service fee percentages.
But most GPs – 64% – felt that ultimately, the choice over how to split the incentive should be left to individual practices and doctors to decide for themselves. Just 36% agreed the government should decide.
Nevertheless, that is what is happening.
Minister Butler reiterated his belief that the proportion of general practices bulk billing all patients would dramatically increase, from around one quarter currently, “to fully three quarters, because those practices will be better off.”
“We modelled this very carefully. We have great access to what practices are currently doing in terms of their billing, and we’re confident that the money we put on the table in February means that three quarters of practices will be better off financially if they move to a full bulk billing model,” Minister Butler said.
“Now, that really requires doctors, individual doctors, to buy into this but also practice owners to buy into it as well, which is why we’ve gone with the idea or the decision to split the incentive evenly.”
From 1 November, the tripled bulk billing incentive will also expand to include all Medicare-eligible patients.
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