- Bulk billing
- When a doctor accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment for a service, meaning the patient pays nothing out of pocket.
- Source: MBS Online →
- Mixed billing
- When a practice bulk bills some patients (e.g., concession card holders) but charges a gap to others.
- Source: MBS Online →
- Schedule fee
- The fee set by the government for a given MBS item. The Medicare benefit is calculated from this amount.
- Source: MBS Online →
- Benefit (Medicare benefit)
- The amount Medicare pays (or reimburses) for an MBS item when claimed. For GP non-referred attendances, this is 100% of the schedule fee.
- Source: MBS Online →
- Gap (out-of-pocket)
- The difference between the clinic's fee and the Medicare benefit - the amount the patient pays from their own pocket.
- Source: MBS Online →
- BBI (Bulk Billing Incentive)
- Additional MBS items that can be claimed alongside a consultation when the service is bulk billed. Only payable when no gap is charged.
- Source: MBS Online - BBI factsheet →
- BBPIP (Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program)
- A quarterly incentive of 12.5% of MBS revenue for practices that bulk bill all patients for all consultations. Introduced November 2025.
- Source: MBS Online - BBI factsheet →
- MM1–MM7 (Modified Monash Model)
- A geographic classification system used by the Australian Government to define whether a location is metropolitan (MM1), regional (MM2–MM3), rural (MM4–MM5), or remote (MM6–MM7).
- Source: Department of Health and Aged Care →
- FTE (Full-time equivalent)
- A unit of measurement representing the workload of a full-time worker. Used to standardise GP workforce counts that include part-time practitioners.
- Source: Commonwealth GP Workforce Data →
- PHN (Primary Health Network)
- One of 31 federally funded regional organisations that coordinate primary health care services and address local health needs.
- Source: Department of Health and Aged Care →
- Non-referred attendance
- A medical consultation that does not require a referral - the core GP consultation type. Patients see their GP directly without needing a letter from another doctor.
- Source: MBS Online →
- MBS (Medicare Benefits Schedule)
- The list of medical services subsidised by the Australian Government through Medicare. Each service has an item number, description, and schedule fee.
- Source: MBS Online →
- Continuity of care
- Care that is coherent and connected over time for an individual patient - not simply 'seeing the same doctor', but having a coordinated, longitudinal health relationship.
- Source: RACGP Standards for General Practices →
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for unavoidable jargon.