Using MBS Items For COVID-19 Vaccinations A 'Big Mistake' Warns Practice Owner - Australian Doctor Group

(1) Using MBS items for COVID-19 vaccinations a 'big mistake' warns practice owner | Australian Doctor Group
28/1/21, 6:42 pm
AUSTRALIAN DOCTOR NEWS
Using MBS items for COVID-19

vaccinations a 'big mistake' warns
practice owner
Dr Nathan Pinskier says practices are being asked to set-up vaccination clinics without knowing how many
vaccinations they will administer
! 3 minutes to read
28th January 2021
By Geir O'Rourke |
Funding GP COVID-19 vaccinations through MBS items will make it near impossible for most practices to
join the Federal Government rollout, a GP business leader claims.
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/using-mbs-items-covid19-vac…lSnNZbkZLc0w2dzZSVE1QTnowR2tYbXU2U0FDWWtZeEFrVDMifQ%3D%3D Page 1 of 4
(1) Using MBS items for COVID-19 vaccinations a 'big mistake' warns practice owner | Australian Doctor Group 28/1/21, 6:42 pm
Dr Nathan Pinksier.
Applications opened this week for practices to join phase 1B of the program which aims to administer the
two-dose AstraZeneca vaccine to some six million Australians.
The government says it wants 1000 practices to sign up.
It is demanding each one has a dedicated clinic capable of administering vaccinations en masse at short
notice.
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Patients will then book consults via a national IT system being developed by the government.
However, Dr Nathan Pinskier says the cash on o!er means “the numbers don’t add up” for owners who will
need to establish high-throughput vaccination centres from scratch.
“We will need to take on huge risks here, because we will need to lease new spaces, take on sta! and buy
equipment,” he says.
“This is all before the vaccine has been approved by the TGA and without actually knowing how many
patients we will be seeing or clinically what will be involved.”
Read more:
GPs to get $30.75 for administering first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine
GP rebates for COVID-19 vaccinations 'reasonable, if no windfall', says AMA
Under plans endorsed by the RACGP and AMA, practices will be eligible for a $10 PIP incentive for each
patient they provide with both doses.
But much of the funding is in the form of 18 new mandatory bulk-billing MBS items, with GP rebates of
$30.75 for the first dose, rising to $37.35 in rural areas.
Rebates for the second dose will be $24.25 for most GPs.
Dr Pinskier, who owns six practices in Melbourne, said it was a mistake to use MBS items as GPs themselves
wouldn’t be doing the majority of the work given most vaccines would be administered by practice nurses.
“And it is going to be a real challenge to recruit su!icient nurses," he said.
“The other issue is practice space. If you have got, say, 10 patients per hour
coming through and each one has to spend 20 minutes in observation a!er
administering the vaccine, you’ll need at least 15 square metres of space for
them all.
“That costs money, especially if it comes on top of your existing patients.
“I’ve spoken to practice owners in Queensland who say they might be able to put them on the balcony, but
most don’t have the space and again it comes at the cost of business as usual.”
He argued block funding payments should have been used — similar to those used to create 100 GP
respiratory clinics last year to provide coronavirus testing and diagnosis.
Each clinic received up to $150,000 to establish facilities with infection control arrangements and social
distancing, with extra funding based on demand.
“It would have been a lot easier for practices to negotiate,” Dr Pinskier said.
“Practices could have told a GP: ‘we’ll give you a fixed amount per day to be the on-call vaccine supervisor’.
"With a fee-for-service approach, you have to worry about whether doses

are delivered at the right time and that patients turn up in su"icient
numbers.”
Dr Pinskier denied that general practice, by criticising the funding package unveiled at the weekend, risked
opening the door for the pharmacy sector to take over the vaccination program.
He claimed retail pharmacies would face even greater hurdles in finding adequate space.
Expressions of interest from GP practices close on Monday.
We have compiled a list of resources to help GPs combat coronavirus, which can be read here. Or click
here to read the rest of our coronavirus coverage.

Using MBS Items For COVID-19 Vaccinations A 'Big Mistake' Warns Practice Owner - Australian Doctor Group

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(1) Using MBS items for COVID-19 vaccinations a 'big mistake' warns practice owner | Australian Doctor Group

AUSTRALIAN DOCTOR NEWS

Using MBS items for COVID-19

The government says it wants 1000 practices to sign up.

Which patients might bene!t from IMPLANON NXT?

Which patients might bene!t from IMPLANON NXT?

“And it is going to be a real challenge to recruit su!icient nurses," he said.

“That costs money, especially if it comes on top of your existing patients.

"With a fee-for-service approach, you have to worry about whether doses

Expressions of interest from GP practices close on Monday.

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