COLLEGE NEWS
Medicare Benefits Schedule: changes to Dermatology items from 1 Nov 2018
Posted 5 years ago
As of 1 November 2018, a number of changes to MBS dermatology items will come into effect as part of the MBS Review. College has developed a Factsheet with the revised list of dermatology items, including a summary of the key changes and rationale.
Briefly, key changes include:
Laser excision of face or neck tumours
- Modification of Items 30190 and 30191 to exclude common lesions that are not severely disfiguring tumours
- Changing ‘confirmed by specialist opinion’ to ‘confirmed by the opinion of a specialist in the specialty of dermatology’
Treatment of benign and malignant neoplasms
- Deletion of Item 30195 due to over-servicing and safety concerns
- Mandating of histopathology for Item 30196, with an allowance that dermatologists can proceed with billing where a specimen has been submitted for histologic confirmation
- Deletion of Item 30197 due to over-servicing and misuse. Removal of multiple lesions can be billed under Item 30196
Treatment of malignant lesions by liquid nitrogen cryotherapy using repeat freeze-thaw cycles
- Mandating of histopathology for non-dermatologists for Item 30202
- Deletion of Item 30203, due to evidence of over-servicing and misuse. Removal of multiple lesions can be billed under Item 30202
- Deletion of Item 30205 as it is not considered best practice
Definitive removal of palmar or plantar warts
- Deletion of Items 30185 and 30186 as they are considered obsolete and no longer reflect best practice
Mohs micrographic surgery
- Restriction of Mohs Items to ACD-approved Mohs surgeons and introduction of three new Mohs Items (31003-5)
Vermilionectomy using laser
- Mandating biopsy confirmation of atypia prior to laser vermillionectomy for Item 45669
Phototherapy
- Consolidation of Items 14050 and 14053; upper limit of 150 treatments per patient over 12 months; requirement that initiation and supervision of treatment is by a dermatologist
Laser photocoagulation
- Several modifications to Items 14100 – 14124, including: updating descriptors to reflect current terminology; consolidation according to area of treatment; and requirement for photographic evidence to be captured
Click here to view the MBS Dermatology Items Factsheet or contact Haley Bennett at haley@dermcoll.edu.au if you have any questions.
