Thirty years following the creation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), a review is long overdue. CHF believes that this review and a commitment to the regular evaluation of Medicare items is an essential to maintaining a world class health system and ensuring that funding is available for high value care.

Through CHF’s ongoing research work and engagement with our members, we consistently hear that issues of access, cost and quality are critically important to consumers when accessing healthcare. All three issues are especially prominent in relation to specialist care. These three factors shape the way we have considered this report and our response to the recommendations.

We believe many of the recommendations in this report present the opportunity to improve the value and quality of care consumers receive. We have raised concerns in relation to some areas where we believe the recommendations as proposed would lead to unintended consequences that would increase costs for consumers and ultimately limit access to care.

Click on the link below to read the CHF Response to the Report from the Ophthalmology Clinical Committee