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A four-year funding plan was announced by the Federal Government to support GP visits at residential aged care facilities.

The decision was made to averse the problem of a declining number of GPs willing to visit aged care facilities due to inadequate rebates and unpaid non-face-to-face time.

According to RACGP, a survey from last year showed that more than a third of participating doctors were planning to cut back or end their aged care facility visits which would have further restricted aged care facility residents with their freedom of choice for treatment.

Doctors’ groups and the RACGP have welcomed the additional $98 million in funding but continue to advocate for more funds addressing many other longstanding issues in health care funding for aged care facilities.

One of the benefits of the funding will be to rebate GPs for their travel time and costs with a $55 fee, as well as higher rebates for after-hours services.

“This new style of payment goes some way to acknowledging the time and commitment required by GPs to provide often very complex services in residential aged care facilities,” Mr Nespolon, President of RACGP, said.

Source: RACGP

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