Rip- off fears after ‘ urgent’ calls spike

THE number of Queenslanders claiming “urgent” after- hours doctor services has tripled in five years amid fears the system is being abused and taxpayers ripped off.

Gold Coasters are the biggest users of the service, while there has been an almost 1000 per cent increase in people using it in Townsville in three years.

A Federal Government interim report into Medicare Benefits Scheme after- hours services found there had been a dramatic rise in people claiming for urgent care since businesses targeting the system, often owned by private equity firms, started setting up.

According to the report there have been instances of medical practitioners claiming “urgent” callouts for standard services, which allows them to claim a significant higher bulkbilled Medicare rebate courtesy of the taxpayer.

It also said there was little evidence of the spike in people claiming after- hours services having any impact on hospital emergency waiting times.

In 2010- 11 there were about 40 “urgent” after- hours claims per 1000 people in Queensland, but that amount skyrocketed to more than 120 claims per 1000 people by 2015- 16.

Nationally, the cost of afterhours services to taxpayers through Medicare payments rose from $ 90.8 million in 2010- 11 to $ 245.9 million in 2015- 16.

The number of urgent afterhours Medicare claims in Townsville rose from 1624 to 16,456 – or 913 per cent, in the three years after medical deputising services for after- hours services were introduced to the region in 2012.

A spokesman for Health Minister Greg Hunt said there were concerns some doctors were claiming urgent services for standard call- outs.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Michael Gannon said after- hours services were critical but should not displace regular GPs.