Voluntary Patient Enrolment for Older Australians

Following the government’s 2019-20 Budget promise of $448.5 million – over three years – to support voluntary patient enrolment for patients aged 70 years and over, they have now announced there will be an additional $7.2 million to extend this to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over.

GPs in accredited practices will be able to enrol their regular patients – a ‘regular patient’ is defined as a patient who has seen the same GP three times in the previous two years.

From 1 July 2020 four new MBS items will be added:

• Mainstream enrolment item ($36) and mainstream quarterly item ($30) – for patients aged 70 years and over; and
• Indigenous enrolment item ($36) and Indigenous quarterly item ($30) – for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients aged 50 years and over

Find out more about Voluntary Patient Enrolment (VPE).