As a GP, can I order a PET scan for suspected recurrence of breast cancer?
21 March 26Can I order a PET scan to determine a possible recurrence of breast cancer for one of my patients or does an oncologist have to order it? I am a GP.
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If a patient pays a deposit for an outpatient procedure, can that deposit be used to submit a patient claim before the full balance is paid?
21 March 26My understanding of outpatient Medicare claims where there is an OOP component is that the patient must have paid the account in full and the service must have already been rendered.
In a sit…
Is item 39323 the correct item to use when we administer cryolysis for patients with spasticity?
16 March 26We use cryolisis delivered via a probe to treat patients with spasticity. We freeze the nerve going to the muscle or muscles that are affected by spasticity. We want to check that item 39323 i…
read more >Are items 47960 and 49806 the correct items to use for tenotomies on patients with spasticity when there is no incision?
15 March 26We do subcutaneous tenotomies for patients with spasticity (there’s no incision). The patients typically have long-standing spasticity causing chronic fungal infections in the affected limbs -…
read more >Can the same surgical assistant claim 2 x 51303 items in the context of primary and conjoint surgeons performing breast reconstruction on the same breast?
8 March 26If a principal surgeon is performing a post-mastectomy breast reconstruction item 46084 and a conjoint surgeon performs item 46086 – both operating on the same breast, does that mean I can bil…
read more >Can we use the new Nurse Practitioner patient end items for hospital patients?
8 March 26From 1 March 2026 we nurse practitioners got access to a new tranche of MBS items for patient end support during a telehealth consult with a specialist. Can we claim these items for admitted p…
read more >Can a public outpatient use a private pathology or imaging provider if a staff specialist has written a request? Or do they have to use the non-Medicare public service?
1 March 26Staff specialist physician in a public hospital with a Right of Private Practice (RoPP). This is a public outpatients question. Our department refers to these as “hospital patients” i.e…
read more >We have been told to tell public patients that without a named referral they won’t be able to access bulk billed private imaging and pathology outside of the hospital. Is this legal?
1 March 26Staff specialist physician in a NSW public hospital with a Right of Private Practice (RoPP). Our dept is under pressure to increase Medicare billings.I understand that Clause G17(b) of the NHR…
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HOW TO AVOID THE MEDICAL BILL RIP OFF
HOW TO AVOID THE MEDICAL BILL RIP OFF