Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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HEALTH INSURANCE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1993 NO. 154

STATUTORY RULES 1993 No. 154

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Health

Health Insurance Act 1973

Health Insurance Regulations (Amendment)

The Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) provides in part for the payment of Medicare benefits for professional services rendered by medical practitioners and for certain professional services rendered by dental practitioners and optometrists.

Section 133 of the Act provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act.

Section 4AA of the Act provides that regulations may prescribe a table of diagnostic imaging services. The Health Insurance (Diagnostic Imaging Services Table) Regulations prescribe such a table.

Subsection 16B(1) of the Act provides in part that medicare benefits are not payable for an R-type diagnostic imaging service unless the service was requested by a medical practitioner, a dental practitioner or by certain other practitioners.

Subsection 16B(2) of the Act provides that regulations may prescribe R-type diagnostic imaging services that may be requested by dental practitioners. Regulation 10 of the Health Insurance Regulations (the Regulations) specifies the relevant items in the Diagnostic Imaging Services Table.

The amended range of diagnostic imaging services contained in the amendment to Regulation 10 has been agreed with representatives of the dental profession.

The Regulations amend Regulation 10 in the following ways.

Subregulation 3.1 amends paragraph 10(1)(a) of the Regulations by substituting a number of ultrasound items, specified by reference to anatomical regions, for item 55003 in the table, and these items are diagnostic imaging services which may be requested by oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

Subregulation 3.2 amends paragraph 10(1)(b) of the Regulations by substituting 2 ultrasound items for item 55003 in the table, and these items are diagnostic imaging services which may be requested by prosthodontists (specialist dentists described in subregulation 10(2) of the Regulations).

The Regulations commence on 1 July 1993.