Rural doctors welcome wider access to Medicare for urgent after hours care

An Australian Government decision to widen access to Medicare rebates for urgent after-hours care and to clarify what type of care the rebates cover will assist rural patients and doctors alike, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has said.

“The ability for doctors to provide urgent after-hours care is critical in all rural areas, and particularly in communities that do not have hospitals,” RDAA president, Dr Peter Rischbieth, said.

Under the changes to the Medicare after-hours items, to be implemented from 1 March 2007, patients who contact their doctor up to two hours before an after-hours period seeking urgent medical care will now receive the higher Medicare after-hours rebate provided the care is given by the doctor in the after-hours period and meets the other requirements for an urgent after-hours item.

Previously the ‘emergency’ after-hours Medicare rebates were available only to patients if they contacted their doctor within an after-hours period, not before it.

The Australian Government has also clarified that the items will be called ‘urgent’ after-hours Medicare items rather than ‘emergency’ after-hours items.