On November 1, the Australian government implemented a landmark change to the current health system through an extension of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) payments to cover patients seen by nurse practitioners and midwives working at private clinics and hospitals. NPs and midwives will also be able to prescribe medications through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), a fee schedule administered by Medicare Australia that provides subsidies to patients taking prescription drugs. Over the next four years, the government will provide $59.7 million to expand access to and insurance support for nurse practitioners, and $91.6 million for eligible midwives.
In order to gain access to the MBS and PBS, nurse practitioners and midwives will be required to work in a "collaborative arrangement" with a medical practitioner. Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said that these reforms will not only help to ease the burden on doctors, especially in rural areas, but will also increase services in a wider range of settings and will allow more choice for patients.