{"id":479153,"date":"2025-10-06T23:32:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/479153\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T23:32:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:32:23","slug":"bulk-billing-rates-remain-low-as-gps-spend-longer-with-patients-survey-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/479153\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulk-billing rates remain low as GPs spend longer with patients, survey finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melbourne GP Owen Harris would love to bulk-bill more of his patients.<\/p>\n

He specialises in helping patients with complex mental health needs, drug and alcohol issues and gender affirming care.<\/p>\n

“None of these things are quick and simple,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

he said.<\/p>\n

Although he works in a private billing practice, Dr Harris chooses to bulk-bill a small number of his patients at a cost to him and the practice.<\/p>\n

“It’s just not in line with my values to force them to pay or ask them to come back or go somewhere else \u2026 but it does mean I lose out,” he said.<\/p>\n

Dr Harris said the system of time-based care, where GP visits were classified based on the length of appointment, encouraged doctors to practice what had become known as “six-minute medicine”.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Owen Harris is a GP in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. (ABC News: Patrick Stone)<\/p>\n

He said the longer appointments many of his patients needed did not attract Medicare rebates proportionate to the time he spent with them, and he could earn significantly more if he squeezed in lots of shorter appointments back-to-back.<\/p>\n

“[But] there is simply no way to sustain empathy, compassion and concentration seeing that many patients in a day,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Burnout or more superficial care is almost guaranteed.”<\/p>\n

GPs taking on role of specialists<\/p>\n

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) released its annual survey of members and GPs in training on Tuesday, and like Dr Harris, many of the thousands of doctors surveyed said they were spending longer with patients, particularly for mental health.<\/p>\n

The college has urged the federal government to increase Medicare rebates for longer consultations by 40 per cent.<\/p>\n

As it stands, the rebate a patient receives per minute generally decreases the longer the appointment is.<\/p>\n

“We are living in an ageing society with more chronic health conditions and more complex healthcare needs, which means patients require more time with GPs,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

president Michael Wright said.\"A<\/p>\n

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Michael Wright says patients require more time with GPs. (ABC News: John Gunn)<\/p>\n

GP survey at a glance<\/p>\n