AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DISABILITY AND AGEING

HEALTH INSURANCE ACT 1973

Health Insurance (Medicare Benefits Payable in Respect of Professional Services - Services Rendered under the Commonwealth Urgent Care Clinic Program – Northern Territory) Direction 2025

I, Nigel Murray, Assistant Secretary, MBS Policy and Specialist Programs Branch, Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division, Health Resourcing Group, delegate for the Minister for Health and Ageing, acting under subsection 19(2) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act), hereby:

REPEAL the Health Insurance (Medicare Benefits Payable in Respect of Professional Services - Services Rendered under the Commonwealth Urgent Care Clinic Program – Northern Territory) Direction 2024; and
DIRECT that Medicare Benefits shall be payable in respect of:

A professional service (as defined in section 3 of the Act) which has been agreed to be provided:
1. under a Schedule to the Federation Funding Agreement executed on 20 June 2023 between the Commonwealth (represented by the Department of Health and Aged Care (ABN: 83 605 426 759) and the Northern Territory (represented by the Chief Minister, Minister for Health (ABN: 84 085 734 992)); and
2. as part of the Commonwealth Urgent Care Clinic Program for which items specified in Schedule A of this Direction; and of the general medical services table (means the table prescribed under subsection 4(1) of the Act), the diagnostic imaging services table (means the table prescribed under section 4AA of the Act), or the pathology service table (means the table prescribed under section 4A of the Act) relates: and
Where the professional service is provided to:

an eligible person (as defined in section 3 of the Act);
a patient who is not receiving the service as part of an episode of hospital treatment (as defined in section 121-5 of the Private Health Insurance Act 2007);
a patient who also is not receiving a service which attracts a payment through the 2020-2025 Addendum, schedule K, one year extension to the National Health Reform Agreement for a service rendered to a public patient; and

The professional services referred to in paragraph (2)(a) must be provided:
1. at a practice location specified in Schedule B of this Direction; and
2. by a general practitioner, prescribed medical practitioner or participating nurse practitioner who is registered to provide services with Services Australia under the Commonwealth Urgent Care Clinic program mentioned in paragraph (2)(a).

DECLARE that this Direction commences on 1 July 2025 and ceases to have effect at the end of 30 June 2026 unless earlier revoked.

Dated 20 June 2025

Nigel Murray

Assistant Secretary

MBS Policy and Specialist Programs Branch

Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division

Health Resourcing Group

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

SCHEDULE A

MEDICARE BENEFITS SCHEDULE ITEMS AS AGREED under the Urgent care clinic program

For services listed in the below tables, all provisions of the Act and regulations made under the Act, and the National Health Act 1953 and regulations made under the National Health Act 1953, relating to medical services, professional services or items apply.

General Medical Services Table

Group	Group Name	Subgroup	Subgroup Name	Item Number
A1	General practitioner attendances to which no other item applies			3, 23, 36, 44, 123
A5	Prolonged attendances to which no other item applies
A7	Acupuncture and non-specialist practitioner items	2	Prescribed medical practitioner attendance to which no other item applies	179, 185, 189, 203
		9	Prescribed medical practitioner mental health care	279
		10	Prescribed Medical Practitioner after‑hours attendances to which no other item applies	733, 737, 741, 745
A20	GP Mental health treatment	1	GP mental health treatment plans	2713
A22	General practitioner after-hours attendances to which no other item applies			5000, 5020, 5040, 5060, 5071
D1	Miscellaneous diagnostic procedures and investigations	6	Cardiovascular	11707
T4	Obstetrics			16500
T7	Regional or field nerve blocks			18213
T8	Surgical operations	1	General	30003, 30006, 30026, 30029, 30032, 30035, 30038, 30042, 30045, 30049, 30061, 30064, 30099, 30216, 30219
		2	Colorectal	32147
		5	Urological	36800
		8	Ear, nose and throat	41500, 41659, 41677
		9	Ophthalmology	42644, 42650
		14	Hand or wrist surgery	46513, 46528, 46531
		15	Orthopaedic	47904, 47915, 47916, 47015, 47030, 47042, 47057, 47063, 47069, 47301, 47348, 47354, 47361, 47387, 47423, 47444, 47453, 47462, 47466, 47471, 47543, 47561, 47579, 47595, 47637, 47663, 47735
M1	Management of bulk-billed services	1	Management of general bulk-billed services	10990, 10991, 10992, 75855, 75856, 75857, 75858
M1	Management of bulk-billed services	2	General support service	75870, 75871, 75872, 75873, 75874, 75875, 75876
M14	Nurse practitioners	1	Nurse practitioners	82200, 82205, 82210, 82215

*Note: Claims under any item in Group A7 in the General Medical Services Table may only be exempt from subsection 19(2) of the Act when the services are claimed by a Prescribed Medical Practitioner operating under the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic Program.

Diagnostic Imaging Services Table

Group	Group Name	Subgroup	Subgroup Name	Item Number
I1	Ultrasound	1	General	55028, 55032, 55036, 55038, 55048, 55054, 55065, 55066, 55070, 55071, 55076
		3	Vascular	55238, 55244, 55246, 55252, 55274, 55276, 55278
		4	Urological	55600
		5	Obstetric And Gynaecological	55700, 55704, 55706, 55707, 55712, 55718, 55721
		6	Musculoskeletal	55812, 55844, 55848, 55850, 55856, 55858, 55860, 55862, 55864, 55866, 55868, 55870, 55872, 55874, 55876, 55878, 55880, 55882, 55884, 55886, 55888, 55890, 55892, 55894
		7	Transthoracic Echocardiogram and Stress Echocardiogram	55126, 55132, 55133, 55141
I2	Computed Tomography	1	Head	56001, 56007, 56013, 56016, 56022, 56028, 56030, 56036
		2	Neck	56101, 56107
		3	Spine	56220, 56221, 56223, 56226, 56233, 56237
		4	Chest and upper abdomen	56301, 56307
		5	Upper abdomen only	56401, 56407, 56409, 56412
		6	Upper abdomen and pelvis	56501, 56507
		7	Extremities	56620, 56622, 56623, 56627, 56629,
		8	Chest, abdomen, pelvis and neck	56801, 56807
		9	Brain, chest and upper abdomen	57001, 57007
		11	Interventional techniques	57341
		12	Spiral angiography	57352, 57353, 57354, 57357
I3	Diagnostic Radiology	1	Radiographic Examination Of Extremities	57509, 57515, 57521, 57523, 57527
		2	Radiographic Examination Of Shoulder Or Pelvis	57703, 57709, 57712, 57715
		3	Radiographic Examination Of Head	57901, 57907, 57915, 57921, 57924, 57927, 57945, 57960, 57963, 57969
		4	Radiographic Examination Of Spine	58100, 58103, 58106, 58109, 58112, 58115
		6	Radiographic Examination Of Thoracic Region	58503, 58509, 58521, 58524
		7	Radiographic Examination Of Urinary Tract	58700
		8	Radiographic Examination Of Alimentary Tract And Biliary System	58903, 58909
		9	Radiographic Examination For Localisation Of Foreign Bodies	59103
		10	Radiographic Examination Of Breasts	59300, 59302, 59303, 59305, 59314
		12	Radiographic Examination With Opaque Or Contrast Media	59751
		17	Interventional Techniques	61109
I4	Nuclear Medicine Imaging	1	Nuclear medicine- non PET	61329, 61345, 61357, 61421, 61425, 61473
I4	Nuclear Medicine Imaging	3	Adjunctive services	61505
I5	Magnetic Resonance Imaging	1	Scan Of Head – For Specified Conditions	63001, 63007
		2	Scan Of Head - For Specified Conditions	63040, 63049, 63058, 63064
		6	Scan Of Spine - One Region Or Two Contiguous Regions - For Infection or Tumour	63151
		7	Scan Of Spine - One Region Or Two Contiguous Regions - For Other Conditions	63161, 63167, 63173, 63176, 63179, 63182, 63185
		8	Scan Of Spine - Three Contiguous Regions Or Two Non-Contiguous Regions - For Infection or Tumour	63201
		9	Scan Of Spine - Three Contiguous Regions Or Two Non-Contiguous Regions - For Other Conditions	63219, 63228
		11	Scan Of Musculoskeletal System - For Tumour, Infection or Osteonecrosis	63301
		12	Scan Of Musculoskeletal System - For Joint Derangement	63322, 63325, 63328, 63331, 63334, 63337, 63340
		19	Scan Of Body - For Specified Conditions	63461
		20	Scans Of Pelvis And Upper Abdomen - For Specified Conditions	63740
		33	Scan of Body - Person Under the Age of 16 Years - General Practice Requests	63507, 63513, 63522
		34	Scan of Body - Person Over the Age of 16 Years - General Practice Requests	63551, 63554, 63557, 63560

Pathology Services Table

Group	Group Name	Item Number
P1	Haematology	65060, 65070, 65072, 65075, 65078, 65081, 65090, 65093, 65096, 65111, 65114, 65120, 65123, 65126, 65129, 65137, 65144, 65156, 65178, 65179
P2	Chemical	66500, 66503, 66506, 66509, 66512, 66518, 66519, 66536, 66542, 66548, 66551, 66554, 66560, 66563, 66566, 66584, 66593, 66596, 66605, 66607, 66623, 66626, 66632, 66635, 66638, 66641, 66650, 66653, 66655, 66656, 66659, 66660, 66665, 66686, 66695, 66697, 66698, 66701, 66704, 66707, 66716, 66719, 66722, 66725, 66728, 66731, 66734, 66750, 66751, 66752, 66756, 66758, 66764, 66767, 66770, 66779, 66800, 66803, 66812, 66816, 66819, 66820, 66822, 66828, 66833, 66837, 66838, 66839, 66840, 66841, 66900
P3	Microbiology	69300, 69303, 69306, 69309, 69312, 69317, 69318, 69319, 69321, 69324, 69330, 69333, 69336, 69345, 69354, 69363, 69384, 69387, 69390, 69393, 69396, 69400, 69401, 69405, 69411, 69413, 69415, 69471, 69474, 69475, 69478, 69480, 69481, 69482, 69483, 69484, 69488, 69491, 69494, 69495, 69496, 69497, 69498, 69499
P4	Immunology	71057, 71058, 71059, 71060, 71069, 71071, 71072, 71073, 71075, 71079, 71083, 71085, 71097, 71099, 71101, 71103, 71106, 71119, 71123, 71125, 71143, 71147, 71151, 71153, 71155, 71157, 71163, 71164, 71165, 71166, 71167, 71168, 71180, 71183, 71186, 71198, 71200,
P5	Tissue Pathology	72816, 72817, 72818, 72823, 72824, 72825, 72830, 72846, 72847, 72849
P6	Cytology	73045, 73047, 73049, 73063, 73070, 73071, 73072, 73074, 73076
P7	Genetics	73289, 73292, 73308, 73311, 73314, 73317, 73320, 73325
P8	Infertility and Pregnancy Test	73523, 73527, 73529
P9	Simple basic pathology tests	73806
P10	Patient Episode Initiation	73922, 73924, 73926, 73928, 73930, 73932, 73934, 73936, 73937, 73938, 73939
P11	Specimen Referred	73940

SCHEDULE B

APPROVED PRACTICE LOCATIONS AS AGREED UNDER THE FEDERATION FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT

Approved primary care locations:

State	MMM 2 Location	Practice Name	Legal Name	Street Address
NT	Palmerston	Palmerston Medicare Urgent Care Clinic	FCD Health Ltd	3 Gurd Street, Farrar NT 0830