Visiting GPs ’set to slash service’

The loss of the Medicare rebate for in-home doctors could leave about 15,000 people in the Geelong region worse off, according to a national provider.
National Home Doctor Service chief medical officer, Doctor Umberto Russo, said potential cuts would affect the elderly and children most severely.
“Doctor home visits are an essential Medicare service vital for the most vulnerable people in our community.”
In the last financial year 15,226 people used the service in the electorates of Corio (9419) and Corangamite (5807).
One third of these were under 15 years old, while almost another third of these were over 65.
“In the federal electorate of Corangamite, one in four home visit patients were children under 15, and almost half of patients were adults aged over 64 years,” Dr Russo said.
“Children and elderly family members can fall sick at any time of the day or night – not just in business hours when GP clinics are open.”
A decade ago John Howard introduced after-hours doctor home visits to Medicare.
But according Dr Russo, the service has come under threat with calls for the Medicare rebate to be removed in the government’s Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) review.
“If home visits weren’t available more families would go to emergency departments for health problems that are not emergencies but cannot wait for treatment until business hours,” he said.
“For regional communities … getting health services when you need it is hard enough, but any cuts to this service will make things even harder.“
Dr Russo said an average home visit cost the government $128. He compared this to $368 on average for an emergency department visit.
A report by Deloitte Access Economics found a lack access to after-hours doctor home would cost the health system $724m over four years, he said.
“Home visits help families when they need it most and keep emergency departments for emergencies, saving the health system money.”
But Corangamite MP Sarah said medical experts involved in the Federal Government review were concerned some doctors might be billing routine home visits as urgent to get a higher fee.
Statistics showed the number of after-hours services (home visits) had more than doubled in the past five years, she said.
Medical experts have been assessing all 5700 MBS items, including after-hours services and guidelines on what constitutes an urgent home call-out.
“It is entirely appropriate that medical experts are making medical decisions and not politicians,” Ms Henderson said.
Ms Henderson said the Federal Government had invested a record $7.1 billion to help Australians with the cost of seeing their GP last year.
“No government has invested more in supporting GPs and their patients through Medicare.”
“GP bulk billing rates are at a record high under the Coalition,” Ms Henderson said.
Corio MP Richard Marles accused the government of cutting health services rather than “shelving“ tax breaks for big business.
“Instead, they showed they’re determine to slash away at services people in Geelong rely on,“ he said.
“Geelong deserves better than the Turnbull Government’s cuts.“
The National Association of Medical Deputising Services, which represents home doctors, has started a campaign to protect home visits.
Already 23,500 people have signed up for the campaign.