Staff 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 NHRA provides that “Referral pathways must not be controlled so that a referral to a named specialist is a prerequisite for access to outpatient services”
However, there is a view that we should counsel patients that they will not be able to access bulk billed pathology/imaging services outside of the hospital if they are not privately referred. Is this legal?