This page outlines the changes made to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) in response to the MBS Review Taskforce's recommendations to date with links to MBS online for fact sheets on the changes.
Cleft dental services – modernise the clinical practice for treating patients with cleft and craniofacial condition (remaining 26 of 29 recommendations).
Recommendations 4 and 11 were not accepted by government.
Colorectal Surgery – introduced the new service, ventral rectopexy, as agreed by Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) (recommendation 25).
Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Breast – added a new item for the insertion of a breast marker clip during a breast biopsy (recommendation 8 via MSAC).
Psychiatry items – restructured in line with the taskforce report (recommendations 1, 5‑8 and 10).
Plastic and reconstructive surgery:
Introduced three items for use by nurse practitioners. Two items for the dressing of burns and one item for the intradermal colouration of the nipple or areola (recommendations 32 and part 35).
Thoracic Surgery – additional surgical methods for airway procedures (recommendation 10).
2023
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2023
Cleft dental – removed the age limit for the Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Scheme (recommendation 3).
Recommendation 28 and 29 referred to MSAC.
Diagnostic Medicine – updated prostate specific antigen testing to align with Prostate Cancer Foundation and Cancer Council of Australia guidelines (recommendation 7).
DI nuclear medicine – a one-off fee increase to more appropriately cover the cost of the radiopharmaceutical used in the service (recommendation 21).
Primary Care General Practice (GP) phase two:
Added a new MBS level E GP item for general attendance consultations of 60 minutes or more (recommendation 9).
Colorectal surgery – extended the removal or revision of an artificial bowel sphincter for an additional five years, until 30 June 2028 (part recommendation 36).
Diagnostic Imaging Nuclear Medicine – had new and amended listings for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver and diagnostic nuclear medicine services (recommendation 6).
Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine – had several changes to better reflect the cost of radiopharmaceuticals used in delivering the service (recommendation 15).
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery services – had changes to approximately 360 Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) items (60 of 62 recommendations), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 34 referred to MSAC.
1 March 2023
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery – had changes to 138 Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) items. Including diagnostic procedures, audiology services, ear, nose and throat operations and head and neck surgery (recommendations 1 to 61), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Part of recommendation 62 referred to MSAC.
Primary Care Mental Health – added MBS items to reduce the minimum number of participants in group therapy sessions and enabled family and carers participation in treatment (recommendations 5 and 7).
Psychiatry – had the age of eligibility to receive Medicare rebates for a complex neurodevelopmental disorder or eligible disability lifted from under 13 to under 25 (recommendation 9).
Primary Care Allied Health – had 48 new time-tiered MBS items available to deliver sessions to a patient’s family and carers under the Better Access initiative (recommendations 6, 7, 11 and 12).
Thoracic Surgery – changes to modernise thoracic surgery on the MBS, restrict inappropriate claiming and create new items to reflect current clinical practice (all 5 recommendations).
2022
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2022
Paediatric Surgery – had updates to the MBS for the repair of hernias and cloacal exstrophy (a rare birth defect), and two new items added for circumcision revision (recommendations 3, 5-7).
Primary Care General Practice (phase one) – had acupuncture items updated and removed to better align these items on the MBS (recommendations 8 and 9).
1 July 2022
Colorectal surgery – had updates to better align and describe the items for colorectal surgeons, hospitals, medical administrators, insurers, and relevant allied health professionals operating in the private health system (36 of 42 recommendations), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendations 10 and 25 referred to MSAC.
1 March 2022
Anaesthesia – overhaul to items to better align with contemporary practice (recommendations 8, 33, 36 (remaining part), 42 and 64), individual fact sheets are available on the MBS Online.
Gynaecology services – amended 68 items, including the introduction of 13 new items and the removal of 32 items (70 recommendations), individual fact sheets are available on MBS online.
Recommendations 14, 17, 75 and 77 referred to MSAC.
Pain management services – had updates to nerve block and spinal injections, implanted devices as well as regulatory, and health and safety outcome changes (recommendations 1-25), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 25 referred to MSAC.
Primary Care Participating Midwives – had changes which included a restructure of intrapartum items that resulted in the creation of four new items and the amendment to two existing items (recommendations 4, 5 and 7).
Remaining part of recommendation 6 referred to MSAC.
1 January 2022
Telehealth services – had increases to permanent and ongoing patient access through MBS arrangements (recommendations 1 to 7).
2021
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2021
Primary Care Allied Health – had six new MBS items added for eligible allied health practitioners participating in multidisciplinary case conferences with medical practitioners (addresses recommendation 8, as well as part of recommendation 4 from Primary Care General Practitioner (phase 2) report and recommendation 12 from the Specialist and Consultant Physician Consultations report).
Vascular Surgery – items regarding varicose veins had changes to modernise MBS funding (recommendations 16-22).
1 July 2021
Cardiac services – had changes including updates to item descriptors, combining similar surgical procedures, introducing items that represent a complete medical service and incentivising advanced techniques. The removal of procedures that no longer represent best practice, reducing low value invasive angiography and ineffective coronary artery stenting also occurred (phase two, 45 recommendations).
General Surgery – had changes to services for laparoscopies and laparotomies, small bowel resections, abdominal wall hernia repairs, oncology and bariatric services, and surgical excisions. Also, procedures relating to the oesophageal, stomach, liver, biliary, pancreas, spleen and lymph nodes (recommendations 2-85 and 99-104), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 105 referred to MSAC.
Orthopaedics Surgery services – had changes including new items, amendments, deletions, consolidation and simplification of existing items (169 of 170 recommendations), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 74 and 75 referred to MSAC.
Taskforce Final Report – lead to the creation of the MBS Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) (recommendations 1, 6, 19-20).
Recommendation 21 not accepted by government.
2020
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2020
Blood Products – had changes to procedures involving transfusion, in vitro processing and cryopreservation of bone marrow or peripheral blood and the collection of blood for autologous transfusion (all 3 recommendations).
Oncology services – restructured chemotherapeutic procedures listed on the MBS (recommendations 1, 3, and 11).
Recommendation 2 (medical oncology) referred to MSAC.
Neurosurgery and neurology – had changes to promote high-value use of electroencephalogram, nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and central nervous system evoked responses. A range of changes consolidating neurosurgical services, patient rebates for complex brain surgery items increased to better reflect complexity (recommendations 1-6, 8-23, 25, 27, and 29).
Recommendation 24 referred to MSAC.
Urology services – had changes made to general urology, urological oncology, endo-urology, renal stone disease, paediatric genitourinary and reconstructive urology (70 of 71 recommendations, and recommendation 1 and 4 of paediatric services).
Recommendation 70 referred to MSAC.
Consumer Panel report finalised, non-MBS updates.
1 August and 15 September 2020
Cardiac Services – added items to support high-value care and ensure patients access to the most appropriate tests for their individual symptoms and conditions (phase one, 8 recommendations)..
1 May 2020
Diagnostic Imaging (DI) – breast (all recommendations), nuclear medicine (15 of 22 recommendations) and DI final report (all recommendations). Individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Breast imaging recommendations 3, 5, 8 and 10 referred to MSAC.
Nuclear medicine recommendations 7, 8, 23 and 24 referred to MSAC.
DI Final report recommendations 17, 19, 20, 21 and 34 referred to MSAC.
1 March 2020
Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine – had changes to include new items, amendment, deletion, consolidation and simplification of existing items, and consequential amendments to explanatory notes (recommendations 1-8), fact sheets for intensive care and emergency medicine are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 9 referred to MSAC.
2019
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2019
Anaesthesia – changes to MBS items which included restructuring of items, new items and the amendment, deletion, consolidation, simplification, or expansion of existing items (34 of 67 recommendations), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Ear, Nose and Throat services - introduced a new item specifically for stroboscopy, for direct exam of the larynx (recommendation 5).
Eating Disorders – had 64 new items introduced to support a model of best practice evidence based care for patients with anorexia nervosa and other eligible patients with eating disorders (all recommendations).
Dermatology, Allergy and Immunology services – had changes to include new items, amendment, deletion, consolidation and simplification of existing items, and consequential amendments to explanatory notes (recommendations 1-14, 16-18), individual fact sheets are available on MBS Online.
Recommendation 15 referred to MSAC in October 2023.
Diagnostic Imaging Knee Services – to limit the ability of GPs to request knee MRIs for patients 50 years and over. Requirement of a mandatory X-ray before MRI in patients younger than 16 years was removed and items introduced to support ongoing monitoring of knee computed tomography (CT) and X-ray (all 4 recommendations).
Endocrinology services – consolidated thyroidectomy items, amended hyperparathyroidism and adrenal gland items, Synacthen stimulation tests and removed thyroglossal cyst item. Fees for two endocrinology items increased (all 8 recommendations).
Renal medicine – introduced a new item for dialysis supervision in very remote areas. Amended indwelling peritoneal catheter for dialysis and removed item for temporary catheter for peritoneal dialysis (recommendations 1, 4 and 5).
Spinal Surgery – replaced the previous schedule of 76 services with 60 new MBS items. Removing three services identified as obsolete and introducing new rules to ensure claiming accuracy and consistency (all 3 recommendations).
Thoracic medicine – report finalised please refer to the Taskforce report (all recommendations).
1 July 2018
Gynaecology services – changes for the use of transvaginal mesh in pelvic organ surgery, including adding 3 items for the surgical removal of material (recommendations 49 and 50).
1 March 2018
Gastroenterology services – removed two colonoscopy items and replaced with 20 new items to align colonoscopy services with Australian clinical practice guidelines (recommendation 1).
2017
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 November 2017
Principles and rules committee:
Aftercare arrangements for patients introduced to allow patients access to MBS rebates for GP consultations during the aftercare period (recommendation 5).
Streamlined fee structure, items and rebate for select procedures performed by a GP (recommendations 3-5).
Diagnostic Imaging bone density testing – report finalised please refer to the Taskforce report.
Diagnostic Imaging Lower Back – spinal x-rays services were limited to requests from medical practitioners, physiotherapists, and osteopaths only (all 4 recommendations).
Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery – amended 4 items to remove coverage for cauterisation of the pharynx, updates for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy to clarify item coverage (recommendations 1-4, 6-8).
Gastroenterology services – had changes to capsule endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal and endoscopic upper gastrointestinal stricture services, sigmoidoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound services and biliary manometry (recommendations 2-5, 7, and 10).
Recommendations 8 and 9 referred to MSAC.
Obstetric services – amended multiple items and introduced six new items, benefits paid under the Extended Medicare Safety Net for the six new items was capped at 65 per cent of the Schedule fee for eligible out-of-hospital services (all 14 recommendations).
2016
Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)
1 June 2016
Obsolete Items – Government removed 26 items identified as obsolete (all recommendations).
Recommendations not progressing
The following recommendations were not accepted by government.
