Bulk billing and quality of care

Australia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Australians can access emergency hospital services around the clock and, if their GP bulk bills, they can receive treatment for free with just their Medicare card. That's great news if you're Australian and you need health care.

But in recent years radio shock jocks have started to complain about a perceived rise in "6 minute medicine", which they say is caused by the practice of bulk billing. So, do bulk billing doctors scrimp on appointment times and, if you take advantage of bulk billing, will your health suffer for it?

To find out, a group of researchers from the University of Technology, Sydney, surveyed just under 2500 Australian patients, asking them about their visits to the GP and the care they received. Of these patients, a little over 70% had been bulk billed by their doctor at their most recent appointment.

So, what did they find?

The researchers found the top reasons for patients' being bulk billed were:

• They had a chronic illness

• They possessed a concession card

• They had private health insurance.

They found patients were less likely to be bulk billed when:

• The medical practice they visited was large

• They had booked an appointment to see their GP, rather than simply walking in

• Their household income was higher

• They lived in a regional area of Australia.

The researchers also identified the aspects that had no impact on whether a patient was bulk billed. These include:

• The patient's age

• Their sex.

But were these bulk billed appointments short and sweet?

The answer? You can rest easy. The researchers found absolutely no link between the length of patients' appointments and whether or not they were bulk billed. This means the 1763 bulk billed patients involved in the study received the same high quality of care you can expect from the Australian healthcare system as those who paid for their appointments.

So, what can you expect if you visit a bulk billing GP?

Well, that depends on the reason for your visit. Bulk billing doctors treat a wide range of medical needs, from providing general checkups to monitoring ongoing medical conditions and diagnosing new ones. Doctors arrange blood and other tests, write referrals to specialists and provide important information and advice about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The great news is that if you're Australian you can benefit from these services and more, completely for free, simply by visiting your bulk billing doctor.