Specialist attendances
One in 3 people had a non-hospital Medicare-subsidised specialist attendance
Around 1 in 3 Australians (32%, or 8.2 million people) had a non-hospital Medicare-subsidised specialist attendance in 2022–23, with over 25 million specialist attendances provided (Table 5). This represents a relative increase in the proportion of people who had a specialist attendance of 1.5% from 2018–19.
Measure | 2018–19 | 2022–23 |
|---|---|---|
Percentage of people(a) who had a specialist attendance | 31% | 32% |
Number of specialist attendances per 100 people(a) | 95 per 100 people | 98 per 100 people |
Total Medicare benefits paid for specialist attendances per 100 people(a)(b) | $8,284 per 100 people | $8,968 per 100 people |
Notes:
- The numerator is the number of people who had a specialist attendance and the denominator is the ABS ERP.
- Expenditure results are not adjusted for inflation.
Sources: AIHW analysis of Department of Health and Aged Care, MBS claims data; ABS ERP.
Medicare-subsidised specialist attendances outside of hospital continue to vary depending on where people live
Although the proportion of Medicare-subsidised specialist attendances appears similar for regional and metropolitan Primary Health Networks (PHN) overall (31% and 32%, respectively) there was a considerable range of variation from 14% in Northern Territory PHN to 41% in Northern Sydney PHN (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Percentage of people who had a Medicare-subsidised specialist attendance, by PHN area, 2022–23
Chart: AIHW. Sources: AIHW analysis of Department of Health and Aged Care, MBS claims data; ABS ERP