You are here: Home > About us > Our current focus > Securing an expanded Medicare schedule

Working to improve the MBS

Optometry Australia continues to advocate strongly for evolving scope of practice and for optometrists to be better utilised to combat a tsunami of predicted eye disease in Australia. A major focus for the organisation is on securing a Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) that enables patients to access the primary eye care they need within a system that supports sustainable optometry practices.

We have prioritised advocating for:

  • expansion of MBS items to better support community eye health needs
  • MBS optometric rebates to be aligned to CPI increases
  • the reinstatement of rebates for biennial initial comprehensive examinations for all middle-aged Australians
  • fairer rebates for all items that better reflect the cost of providing quality care.

A review of the full Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) has been underway since 2015 and Optometry Australia has delivered submissions and made presentation to the review taskforce in order to advocate for positive outcomes to the optometric schedule on behalf of optometrists. While the key recommendations have not yet been endorsed by the Federal Government, Optometry Australia has accepted an invitation to participate in an Implementation Liaison Group established by the Department of Health. The goal of this group is to support the implementation of changes to the MBS items resulting from the recommendations of the MBS Review Taskforce.

You might be interested in

Join the first-ever choir of Aussie optometrists!

Following the enormous success of We Are Here, Optometry Australia’s (OA) 2020 lockdown virtual choir, members are warmly invited to join the Optometry Australia Pub Choir. This first-ever (as far as we know!) choir of Aussie optometrists will debut at the Optometry Clinical Conference in Melbourne on 17-18 August.
Join the first-ever choir of Aussie optometrists! View

Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.