AMA Calls for Medicare Reform as GP Consultations Become Longer and More Complex
29 Oct 2026
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ (RACGP) 2026 Health of the Nation report found that the average GP consultation lasted 19.8 minutes, up from 17.7 minutes in 2022. It also found that 72% of GPs identified growing patient complexity as their biggest challenge.
The AMA said these findings support its Modernise Medicare campaign and its recent submission to the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Advisory Committee.
The association is calling for a seven-tier general attendance model that would better reflect the length and complexity of GP consultations when calculating Medicare rebates.
Under the current system, the Medicare rebate for a patient does not change based on whether a consultation lasts six minutes or 19 minutes. As consultations become longer, the rebate per minute decreases.
The AMA said Medicare needs structural reform to give GPs enough time to provide comprehensive care while helping Australians continue to access high-quality general practice services.
AMA Calls for Medicare Reform as GP Consultations Become Longer and More Complex
Source: Australian Medical Association (AMA); RACGP, 2026 Health of the Nation report.