Remuneration for health professional palliative care activities 

Many health professionals providing palliative care within the primary health setting experience a unique set of challenges which reduce their capacity to provide optimal end-of-life care. For many health professionals this includes uncertainty around funding mechanisms. Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) remuneration can be obtained by health professionals working within the Primary Health Care setting and can be clearly linked to patient palliative care pathways.  

The following links provide practical funding streams for palliative care activities undertaken by health professionals within Primary Health Care. 


MBS items for General Practitioners for patients in primary health care

There are a number of MBS items which can be used to remunerate General Practitioners for their palliative care services for patients within the Primary Health Care setting.

MBS Items for General Practitioners for Patients in Primary Health Care (226kb pdf)

MBS items for General Practitioners for patients in residential aged care

There is clear guidance on the remuneration that General Practitioners can obtain for palliative care services undertaken on patients within Residential Aged Care.

MBS items for General Practitioners for patients in residential aged care (211kb pdf)

MBS items for Nurse Practitioners

Nurse Practitioners can obtain remuneration for palliative care services for patients within the Primary Health Care setting through the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS).

MBS Items for Nurse Practitioners (166kb pdf)

MBS items for Allied Health professionals

The Medical Benefits Scheme have several items for funding palliative care activities that are being undertaken in the Primary Health Care setting by Allied Health Professionals.

MBS Items for Allied Health Professionals (226kb pdf)

Remuneration for Community Pharmacists

There are a number of ways that Community Pharmacists can be remunerated for undertaking palliative care activities within the Primary Health Care setting.

Remuneration for Community Pharmacists (148kb pdf)

COVID-19 MBS temporary Telehealth services

Currently there is remuneration for telehealth palliative care services through the Medical Benefits Scheme.

Last updated 16 January 2024