The peak body representing private pathology in Australia, Australian Pathology, launched a widespread campaign that has been running since 2024 – “Keep Pathology Bulk Billed”. This multi-channel initiative can be seen on TV commercials, Mainstream news and media articles, social media, and billboards. Aimed at raising awareness of the long-term stagnation in Medicare rebates for pathology testing over the past two decades, the private laboratories are asking for an additional $160 million a year in Federal funding to stave off the possibility of introducing patient co-pay for diagnostic tests.
In the 2024-2025 budget the government made some announcements under reforming pathology services that included a reintroduction of annual indexation to selected pathology services – those in the Haematology (P1), Immunology (P4), Tissue Pathology (P5), Cytology (P6) and Infertility & Pregnancy (P8) service groups.
The same document announced amendments recommended by the MBS Review Taskforce’s Diagnostic Medicine Clinical Committee (DMCC) to “reflect best clinical practice and reduce unnecessary testing”.
- Amend Vitamin B12 test items (66838 and 66839) to clarify the appropriate Vitamin B12 testing pathway. This is intended to reduce unnecessary duplicative testing for patients that are not Vitamin B12 deficient.
- Amend urine examination item (69333) to clarify appropriate asymptomatic patient testing to those with clinical need. This is intended to reduce unnecessary testing of patients with no risks, signs or symptoms of urinary tract infection.
Detail of the changes include:
- clinicians given an option to request a test for holoTranscobalamin as a first-line test under MBS item 66838
- proposed new restriction of once every 11 months for vitamin B12 testing under MBS item number 66839 (slightly more relaxed than the Review recommendation of once every 12 months)
- urine examination item (69333) available to symptomatic patients only unless asymptomatic patient is pregnant or under age 16yrs
The Department of Health and Aged Care have since initiated a review of funding for pathology services to investigate the “appropriateness of current schedule fees” for the remaining service groups – Chemical (P2), Microbiology (P3) and Genetics (P7).
PTA hold the position that pathology is a low-expense, high value part of healthcare, representing less than 3% of total health spend, yet informing more than 70% of diagnoses and 100% of contagions and cancers. Broadening our investment in early diagnosis and detection, even by a modest amount, will have broad-ranging positive impact on the health and wellbeing of Australians while supporting a suite of national health goals. Australia’s healthcare future will rely on investing in the pathology technology that stands poised to transform our system into a more predictive, preventative, and personalised model.