Chronic Disease Management and MBS deferred to 1 July 2025
Chronic Disease Management and MBS deferred to 1 July 2025
On 25 September the Department of Health and Ageing announced the commencement date for Chronic Conditions Management MBS item changes have been deferred to 1 July 2025.
The additional time will support all practices and providers, including GPs and allied health providers, to be ready for the changes to these important services. Previously, these changes were due to come into effect from 1 November 2024.
What to Expect
Subject to the passage of legislation, from 1 July 2025 a revised framework for MBS items for chronic disease management in primary care will come into effect. These arrangements simplify and streamline the current MBS arrangements, including:
- Replacing the current GP management plan and team care arrangements items with a single GP chronic condition management plan,
- Patients will be eligible for the plan whether their condition is managed by their GP or prescribed medical practitioner, or multidisciplinary care is required,
- Where multidisciplinary care is required, patients will be able to access the same range of services currently available through GP management plans and team care arrangements, and
- GPs and prescribed medical practitioners will refer patients with a GP chronic condition management plan to allied health services directly. The requirement to consult with at least two collaborating providers, as described under the current team care arrangements will be removed.
Further details will be published on MBS Online as soon as possible.
Steps your practice can take to prepare
Here are some ideas you might like to consider starting to prepare your practice team for Chronic Conditions Management and MyMedicare patient registration:
1) Discuss what these changes mean with your practice team and identify any activities or processes you need to review or update (e.g. incorporating MyMedicare registration in your workflows for chronic disease/conditions management).
2) Register your practice for MyMedicare if you have not done so already.
3) Engage your patients to encourage them to register with MyMedicare, particularly those with a chronic condition or existing care plan:
a. Prepare your practice team to speak with patients about MyMedicare. Discuss MyMedicare at a practice meeting or print off copies of the MyMedicare brochures and MyMedicare patient registration frequently asked questions for your practice team to have on hand to support conversations with patients.
b. Include the MyMedicare Registration form and brochure with your patient consent and data collection form
c. Update your practice website to include links to MyMedicare brochures a, MyMedicare patient registration information, and MyMedicare patient registration frequently asked questions
d. Place MyMedicare posters and brochures in your practice waiting room/reception and display MyMedicare Patient videos in your waiting room screens.
e. Post information about MyMedicare in your practice Facebook or social media page using the following Social Media Tiles.
The MyMedicare communication resources for General Practice includes social media tiles, videos, brochures and posters.
RACGP Webinar Postposed:
The Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) has advised that the planned changes to the MBS items have been postponed until 1 July 2025. Originally scheduled to commence on November 1 2024, the additional time will support practices and providers, including GPs and allied health providers, to be ready for the changes to these important services. Information about the changes to the chronic disease management framework and the amended timeframe can be found on DoHAC’s website.
As a result of this decision, the webinar has been postponed. RACGP will reschedule this event next year in advance of the new implementation date for the changes.
Links & resources
05 September 2024