Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – General Practice Attendance for Assessing Patient Suitability for a COVID-19 Vaccine) Amendment Determination 2021

I, Paul McBride, delegate of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, make the following Determination.

Dated 11 June 2021

Paul McBride

First Assistant Secretary

Medical Benefits Division

Contents

1  Name

2  Commencement

3  Authority

4  Schedules

Schedule 1— Amendments

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – General Practice Attendance for Assessing Patient Suitability for a COVID-19 Vaccine) Amendment Determination 2021

1  Name

  This instrument is the Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – General Practice Attendance for Assessing Patient Suitability for a COVID-19 Vaccine) Amendment Determination 2021.

2  Commencement

(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973.

4  Schedules

  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1— Amendments

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – General Practice Attendance for Assessing Patient Suitability for a COVID-19 Vaccine) Determination 2021

1. Section 4

Insert:

 residential aged care facility means a facility where residential care (as defined in section 41-3 of the Aged Care Act 1997) is provided.

staff member has the same meaning as in Schedule 1 to the Aged Care Act 1997.

2.     Subparagraph 5(1)(b)(ii)

Omit “the Schedule”, substitute “this instrument”.

3.     After Section 8

Insert:

9.  Fee in relation to the first patient during each attendance

(1)     Subject to subsections (2) and (3), for the first patient attended during one attendance by a general practitioner or by a medical practitioner (other than a general practitioner) at:

(a)   one residential aged care facility, or at consulting rooms situated within such a complex, on one occasion; or

(b)   one residential disability setting facility, or at consulting rooms situated within such a complex, on one occasion; or

(c)   a person’s place of residence (other than a residential aged care facility) on one occasion;

the fee for a service described in an item of the Schedule is the amount listed in the item plus $66.75.

(2)     Subsection (1) only applies to a service provided at a residential aged care facility if the patient is:

(a)   a care recipient in the facility; or

(b)   a staff member of the approved provider operating the facility.

(3)     Subsection (1) only applies to a service provided in a residential disability facility setting if the patient is:

(a)   unable to attend the practice location due to a disability; or

(b)   employed, hired, retained or contracted (whether directly or through an employment or recruiting agency) to provide care and other care related services.

(4)     Subsection (1) only applies to a service provided at a person’s place of residence if the patient is unable to attend the practice location due to a medical condition, disability, dementia or frailty.