Tuesday 25 June 2024
2024-25 Medical, Allied Health, Public and Private Hospital fees
The 2024-25 Medical, Allied Health, Public and Private Hospital fee schedules are available to download from the ReturnToWorkSA website in word, PDF and excel format. These will come into effect on 1 July 2024.
These fees have been published by the Minister for Industrial Relations in the South Australian Government Gazette. Fees published in the Gazette are the maximum fees chargeable for the services listed and exclude GST. Where applicable, GST can be applied over and above the gazetted rate.
For your convenience, the following table illustrates the fee increases for each of the relevant services:
|
Fee increase |
Hourly rate |
|
|
General Practitioner and Specialist attendance fees (Schedule 1A) |
10.9% |
N/A |
|
Other medical services (Schedule 1B) |
Services: 4.9% IME Reports - Physicians/Surgeons: 39% IME Reports - Psychiatrists: 28% |
General Practitioners: $298.10 Physicians/Surgeons: $584.20 |
|
Permanent Impairment Assessment |
Services: 4.9% Reports: 39% |
N/A |
|
Allied Health (excl. Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Audiology, Counselling, Exercise Physiology and Psychology) |
6.0% |
$217.70 |
|
Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Counselling and Exercise Physiology |
6.0% |
$172.70 |
|
Audiology (excluding appliances) |
6.0% |
Audiologists: $226.70 Audiometrists: $203.50 |
|
Psychology |
6.0% |
$242.40 |
|
Public Hospital |
2.7% |
N/A |
|
Private Hospital |
5.2% |
N/A |
Substantial changes have been made to the Permanent Impairment Assessment, Independent Medical Examiner, and Audiology fee schedules and policies. We recommend you carefully review the new fee schedules and policies to ensure you understand and are familiar with the changes.
Permanent impairment assessment services
Effective 1 July 2024, all report fees now include reading of up to 100 pages and a new additional reading time fee for more than 100 pages has been created which outlines expectations for reading charges, including approval requests where reading exceeds 500 pages. Descriptors and notes have been updated to indicate that report corrections, amendments, and clarifications that are the result of errors or omissions do not attract additional fees. The service and payment policy has been updated to better define and provide clarity on service expectations.
Independent Medical Examiner services
Effective 1 July 2024, there will now be a single flat fee to provide for examination, reading up to 100 pages and report completion. A new additional reading time fee applies for when more than 100 pages of material are supplied by the report requestor, or reading material is supplied in conjunction with a supplementary report, or a medical report is based upon a review of documentation, or where a worker does not attend/cancels an appointment and reading of the supplied material has already taken place. Short report fees have been removed. Fee descriptors have also been updated to be clearer around the specifications for reports based on review of documentation and for supplementary medical reports to indicate the expectations on delivery of these services and when the fees can be charged. The service and payment policy has been updated to better define and provide clarity on service expectations.
Audiology services
Effective 1 July 2024, a new Rechargeable Hearing Aid code has been added, with a maximum fee of $2,020. Fee descriptors and items have been updated to provide greater clarity on expectations of the practitioners, with additional requirements for collecting clinical history, conducting appropriate tests, providing relevant specifications and details of devices to the claims managers for hearing aid fittings, as well as submitting requests and quotes for replacement of devices. The service and payment policy has been updated to better define and provide clarity on service expectations, including a requirement to adhere to registration codes of practice, provide appropriate information to workers about their consumer rights and declaring commercial interests when making referrals, and outlines the service expectations around the application of specific fees (assessment, testing, rehabilitation and adjustment, device fitting, replacement and repair).
ReturnToWorkSA and the claims agents will be actively monitoring these new requirements to ensure understanding and adherence to the fee schedule and policy.
Hospital calculators
The Public and Private Hospital Calculators are also available on the ReturnToWorkSA website and are located in the hospital section of the fees page. Please note that public hospital fees will now utilise DRG v11, with cost weights determined in consultation with the Department of Health and Wellbeing.
Further information
If you have any questions, please contact Jodie Yorke, Manager Provider Programs on 8233 2204 or Jodie.yorke@rtwsa.com.