FOI 5277 – ANZSCTS Cardiac Item Consultation

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The Department of Health consulted with the Australia and New Zealand Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) regarding proposed amendments to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) cardiothoracic surgery items in January 2022. The consultation involved feedback on changes to item 38513, with a stakeholder recommending that clause (a) include clarification that the item be "billable once per case" to prevent duplicate billing. The MBS Clinical Policy Section accepted this suggested modification. The email chain demonstrates the standard consultation process between the Department's clinical policy team and the cardiothoracic surgery professional body during development of procedural billing guidelines, though specific details of other proposed changes are redacted in this release.