Health Assessments and nurse time
Definitive advice should be available shortly from the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) about the circumstances where medical practitioners can count nurse time when determining which MBS Health Assessment item applies.
The AMA has been in liaison with DoH and DHS regarding a statement that they have prepared. This will clarify the circumstances where both GP and practice nurse time can be used to decide which Medicare item would be the most appropriate to bill Medicare for a particular health assessment.
The long standing position of the DoH is that practice nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners may assist GPs in performing a health assessment, in accordance with accepted medical practice and both GP and practice nurse time can be used to decide which Medicare item would be the most appropriate to bill Medicare for a particular health assessment.
