Healthcare Delays Prompt Urgent Reform Calls
Twelve national organisations are urgently calling for reforms to Medicare and pharmaceutical policy settings, highlighting significant delays and fragmented care in rural Australia. This urgent appeal was conveyed in a letter to the Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport.
The signatories, including peak bodies for nurses, nurse practitioners, endorsed midwives, and midwives, emphasise that current policies are obstructing timely access to essential healthcare across rural, regional, and remote areas. They report that policy changes have led to disrupted care pathways, delayed clinical reviews, and increased strain on fragile care models.
Adjunct Professor Chris Helms of the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners stated, “Reform is not optional. Without urgent correction, current policy settings will continue to compromise safety, sustainability, and equitable access for rural, regional, and remote Australians.”
Specific Policy Concerns
The 12-month face-to-face requirement for Nurse Practitioner Medicare Benefits Schedule telehealth services is a significant concern. In many rural areas, telehealth is the only viable option for continuous care, making this requirement a major barrier.
Other issues highlighted include the exclusion of nurse practitioner and midwife-led practices from MyMedicare registration and Bulk Billing Incentive Programs. These practices are also ineligible for certain Medicare Benefits Schedule items and appropriate rebates for after-hours services.
The exclusion from the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme forces Department of Veterans’ Affairs patients to change prescribers to access subsidised medications, disrupting established therapeutic relationships.
The coalition advocates for eight specific reforms, including a review of telehealth requirements, inclusion in MyMedicare, access to advanced diagnostic and procedural items, and mandatory rural impact assessments for future Medicare changes.
The group warns that impacts are especially serious in oncology surveillance, survivorship care, complex mental health follow-up, chronic disease management, and palliative care. Nurse practitioner- and midwife-led practices remain locked out of key advanced diagnostic and procedural MBS items, without appropriate rebates for after-hours and on-call services.
The full list of suggested reforms and the complete joint letter can be requested from the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners and other participating organisations.
