A recommendation to extend the specialist to specialist referral validity period from three months to six months has been rejected by the government’s MBS Review Taskforce.
The proposal was made by the Taskforce’s Specialist and Consultant Physician Consultation Clinical Committee (SCPCCC), following complaints from consumers and providers that the relatively short three month duration of referrals created serious problems for many vulnerable people with chronic diseases.
“Examples include cancer patients who are receiving multi-modality treatment where the radiation oncology treatment lasts longer than three months,” the committee noted.
The SCPCCC made a recommendation to increase referral validity to six months and mandating a copy of the referral be sent to the patient’s GP “aiming to increase patient convenience and reduce the incidence of expired referrals.”
“The Committee believes that extending the specialist to specialist referral validity period will maintain GP involvement and reduce the frequency of need for patients to obtain a re-referral without compromising the quality of care,” it said.
However in its 2020 report to the health minister the MBS Taskforce said it would not agree to the recommendation, citing concerns about continuity of care, and the principle that “GPs should remain actively involved in the patient’s care when being referred between specialists.”