27 October 2025
Changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) will take effect next Saturday, 1 November 2025.
Below is an overview of what’s changing, key considerations for your practice, and helpful resources to support your preparation.
We’ve also updated our website to include this new information and make it easier to stay on top of Medicare changes – now and in the future. View EMPHN’s MyMedicare webpage here.
On this page:
Bulk Billing Incentive Expansion
From November 1, the eligibility for bulk billing incentives will be expanded to include all Australians with a Medicare card. There is nothing you need to do to access the expanded incentives, and they are not linked to MyMedicare registration. You will have received information from your software vendor regarding any updates that are required to ensure incentives are applied.
You can find further information on the expanded incentives here.
Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP)
From 1 November, practices can choose to participate in the new MyMedicare program BBPIP. Under the BBPIP, practices will receive a 12.5% incentive payment on every $1 of MBS benefit earned from eligible services.
Things you can do to prepare:
- Discuss with your teams whether participating in this incentive is right for your practice and how to communicate this decision with your patients. Resources which might be useful for these conversations:
- BBPIP calculator and user guide.
- BBPIP Practice Readiness Checklist
- BBPIP Planning Kit for General Practice
- RACGP resources (includes posters and scripts for on-hold messages etc. to communicate with patients)
- Register for MyMedicare and/or set up your organisation site record:
- To access this incentive, your practice will need to be registered with MyMedicare. Find more information on how to do that here.
- For non-accredited practices who are not already registered, a new exemption will be available on 1 November in the organisation register which will allow you to participate in BBPIP only.
- If you are registered, make sure all your GPs are linked to your organisation site record. Information on setting up your site record correctly can be found here.
Changes to Better Access initiative
From 1 November, changes will be made to the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Better Access) initiative. These changes include the removal of mental health treatment plan (MHTP) reviews and mental health consultation items from the MBS.
An MBS user guide has been developed to assist with these changes and can be accessed here.
Further information on Better Access changes can be found here.
Changes to the face-to-face requirements for telehealth for MyMedicare enrolled patients
From November 1, patients will be able to access telehealth services, even if they have not seen their GP face-to-face in the previous 12 months if they are accessing the service through their MyMedicare registered practice.
This change recognises that higher quality care is achieved through telehealth when it is provided in the context of a continuous clinical relationship.
Further details can be found here.
Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive changes
From 1 November 2025, There will be an increase to MBS items for insertion and removal of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) and a newly introduced incentive item.
Further details can be found here.
EMPHN support
For further support, please contact practicesupport@emphn.org.au
