This indicator reports on the rate of Indigenous-specific Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) health checks among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–24. The goal for this indicator is 42% by 2023.
Why is it important?
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are eligible for an annual Indigenous-specific health check, subsidised through Medicare. These checks can be received for free at Aboriginal Medical Services and bulk billing clinics. The Indigenous-specific health checks were introduced in recognition that Indigenous Australians, as a group, experience some particular health risks. The aim of the Indigenous-specific health checks is to encourage early detection and treatment of common conditions that cause ill health and early death—for example, diabetes and heart disease (AIHW 2019).
What data are available?
The following Indigenous-specific health checks are listed on the MBS:
- MBS item 715: available from 1 May 2010, provided by general practitioners (GPs)
- MBS item 228: available from 1 July 2018, provided by non-vocationally recognised medical practitioners (non-VR MPs).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary telehealth items for Indigenous-specific health checks have been made available from March 2020 (through to March 2021):
- Health checks provided via videoconference: MBS item 92004 (provided by GPs) and MBS item 92011 (provided by non-VR MPs)
- Health checks provided via teleconference (when videoconferencing is not available): MBS item 92016 (provided by general practitioners) and MBS item 92023 (provided by non-VR MPs).
While many of the required components of an Indigenous-specific health check can be completed as a remote service via telehealth, some components can only be delivered through face-to-face consultation with the patient. This could include any necessary physical examinations such as a blood pressure check. For an Indigenous health check undertaken by telehealth to be processed via Medicare, all components of the health check, including both remotely delivered and face-to-face, must be completed (Health 2020).
What do the data show?
Progress towards the goal is not on track.
- The rate of Indigenous-specific health checks among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 15–24 increased over time from 19% in 2014–15 to 25% in 2019–20. However, in recent years, the rate has remained stable at around 25%.
- Rates in each of the 6 years from 2014–15 to 2019–20 were below the trajectory required to meet this goal. In 2019–20, the trajectory point was 34%, compared with an actual rate of 25%.
- The rate in 2019–20 was similar to the previous 2 years. However, this period included the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (January to June 2020), corresponding with a drop in the number of health checks provided compared with the previous 6 month period (July to December 2019). For more information on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of Indigenous health checks, see (link to page).
In 2019–20, 38,831 health checks were provided for Indigenous young people aged 15–24. Indigenous females aged 15–24 were more likely than males of this age to have received a health check (29% compared with 21%).
The rate of health checks among Indigenous young people aged 15–24 varied by jurisdiction— ranging from 11% in Tasmania to 31% in Queensland.