Documentation Best Practices for Justifying Long Consultations

Defensible Documentation for Medicare Compliance

Introduction

Many General Practitioners (GPs) under-bill out of fear of Medicare audits, leading to an estimated $350 million in under-billed consultations in 2021–22. Audit risk is real, with approximately 2,500 GPs audited annually and around 50 GPs referred to the Professional Services Review (PSR) process each year. However, long consultations are necessary and legitimate when justified correctly.

Key Learning Outcomes:

Understand what justifies a long consultation beyond subjective complexity.
Identify objective and defensible reasons for an extended consultation that Medicare cannot easily dispute.
Develop robust documentation practices that clearly demonstrate why a specific patient requires a long consultation.
Implement best practices to protect your billing integrity while ensuring accurate Medicare compliance.

Course Delivery

Micro course: Micro-courses are particularly beneficial as they are concise and practical and provide learners with an instant certificate of completion. This certificate can be included in accreditation documentation, helping healthcare professionals and clinics maintain compliance with training and reporting requirements.
Fully Online: Participants can access the course content at any time from any device connected to the internet.

Technical Requirements

Device Requirements: Access to a computer or mobile device with internet connectivity.

Certification

Certificate of Completion: After reviewing all course sections, participants can download a certificate to encourage participation and acknowledge their learning.