Amendments to MBS lipectomy services to take effect on 1 January 2016 were announced in the Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) statement, which was released on 15 December 2015.
In order to assist patients affected by the 1 January 2016 implementation of the amendments, the Minister for Health, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, has determined that patients who committed on or before 15 December 2015 to undergo MBS-rebated lipectomy procedures between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2016 may claim Medicare benefits under the conditions set out in item descriptors in force before 1 January 2016.
This would apply only to patients with a clinical need for lipectomy services that meet the relevant lipectomy item descriptors and have consented in writing to their surgeons’ fees. It would not apply to patients who booked a procedure after the MYEFO announcement, even if the procedure was booked for between 1 Jan and 31 Mar 2016.