Information for General Practice
New ACC contributions from 1 December General practices treating patients under ACC’s Cost of Treatment Regulations (CoTR) will receive increased contributions from 1 December following approval by Government. ACC is reminding providers to invoice at the correct rates. It’s important that all health providers know about these invoicing changes to avoid a delay in payment. The increased rates will mean some New Zealanders will get cheaper visits to their General Practice, and more children will be entitled to the zero-fees scheme. All CoTR providers will also get an 1.56% inflationary increase. General Practice (doctor, nurse practitioner and nurse visits) will be paid a higher rate for patients with Community Service Cards, with the expectation the patient will pay no more than $18.50 for a GP visit. Their dependants (aged 14 -17 years) will be charged no more than $12.50. Additional contributions will also mean the current zero-fees scheme for under 13s will be extended to under14s. It is up to individual practices to set their co-payment levels, however ACC says the contributions are set at a level to encourage practices to pass on the benefits to their patients. New rates will also apply to practices working under contract – Rural General Practice and Urgent Care Clinics. Contract holders will need to meet the terms and conditions of the contracts. The primary care changes are part of announcements made by the Government in Budget 2018 and apply to both health and injury-related visits. The new rates can be found here. Ministry of Health also has information about the initiatives available on the TAS website.