This dataset presents the footprint of the percentage of specialist attendances and associated Medicare benefits expenditure per person. Specialist attendance has been calculated with the total services from eligible claims (excluding any bulk-billed incentive items or other top-up items), divided by the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) at the previous end of the financial year. Specialist expenditure has been calculated with the total benefit paid for eligible claims, divided by the ERP at the previous end of the financial year. The data spans the financial years of 2013-2017 and is aggregated to 2015 Department of Health Primary Health Network (PHN) areas, based on the 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).
The data is sourced from the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) claims data, which are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. These claims data are derived from administrative information on services that qualify for a Medicare benefit under the Health Insurance Act 1973 and for which a claim is processed by the Department of Human Services.
For further information about this dataset visit the data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and Specialist Attendances and Expenditure in 2016-17 Data Tables.
Please note:
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AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using the Department of Health - PHN Areas.
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MBS claims data do not include services that were provided free of charge to public patients in hospitals or were subsidised by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, compensation arrangements or through other publicly funded programs including jurisdictional salaried GP services provided in remote outreach clinics.
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Specialist attendances are Medicare benefits-funded referred patient/doctor encounters, such as visits, consultations, and attendances by video conference, involving medical practitioners who have been recognised as specialists or consultant physicians for Medicare benefits purposes.
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Expenditure on GP/specialist attendances comprises MBS funding for patient/doctor encounters. Expenditure is reported unadjusted for inflation.
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Bulk-billing is an arrangement in which a medical practitioner sends the bill directly to Medicare, so the patient pays nothing. Also known as direct billing.
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Age-standardisation allows fairer comparisons to be made between areas by accounting for variation in the age of populations within each area. This adjustment is important because the rates of many health conditions and health service use vary with age.