Federal Budget 2015: Medicare rebates, medical tests under review

THE Budget has set a course to drastically change the way you pay doctor, how much you pay, and what the doctor does during your visit.

Making cutbacks ... a range of medical tests are likely to be restricted.

THE way we pay the doctor and the size of the rebates Medicare provides for medical services will be revolutionised as a result of two wide-ranging reviews funded in the Budget.

Patients with a chronic illness may no longer have to pay a fee every time they see the doctor and could instead get an annual budget to cover the entire cost of treating their ­diabetes or lung problems.

And before a doctor orders a blood test or X-ray they will have to make sure the request meets new clinical guidelines or benchmarks in a bid to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for Medicare.

The Government is already saving hundreds of millions from getting doctors to cut back on ordering vitamin D tests, a range of other tests are likely to be restricted by similar guidelines. Medical colleges have already nominated 25 tests and treatments they say are overused and the Government will spend $34 million paying clinicians to advise it on other tests and Medicare rebates that should be reformed.

Doctors hope the review might see some outdated treatments replaced by newer treatments. Two expert review panels will report to the Government by the end of the year.

Originally published as Federal Budget 2015: Medicare rebates, medical tests under review