MBS items change. Verify the current descriptor, fee, and rules on MBS Online before billing. This page does not include a fee amount. Last reviewed 2 May 2026.
- General consultation
- General Practitioner
Item 44
Level D GP consultation
Professional attendance by a general practitioner, at least 40 minutes in duration, requiring an extensive history, comprehensive clinical examination, and arrangement of any necessary investigations.
Plain-English summary. See MBS Online for the verbatim descriptor of each item.
- Time40 minutes or more
- FrequencyNot capped
- ReferralNot required
- ProfessionGeneral Practitioner
Requirements to bill
Conditions imposed by the descriptor that must be met to claim this item.
- An extensive, multi-system history.
- A comprehensive clinical examination with documented findings.
- Multiple investigations or complex management decisions.
- Significant clinical complexity warranting an extended consultation.
Your notes must show
Documentation tests — what clinical notes need to record to match what the item asks.
- An extensive, multi-system history.
- A comprehensive examination with documented findings across relevant systems.
- Multiple investigations or complex management decisions.
- Evidence of significant clinical complexity warranting the extended consultation.
- Consultation duration documented or clearly implied by the depth of the note.
- When this attendance functions as an MHTP review: AN.0.56 advisory timing dates documented (the note states a review "should not" be undertaken within 4 weeks of the MHTP or within 3 months of the previous review — Medicare does not auto-reject outside these intervals but PSR review may flag), reassessment with the original validated tool, progress against each MHTP goal, and any plan modifications with reasoning.
Common audit failures
Patterns the Professional Services Review scheme and Medicare audits flag.
- Notes that read like a Level C consultation — no demonstrable additional complexity to justify the higher item.
- No documented duration where the note depth alone does not imply ≥40 minutes.
- MHTP review billed under Item 44 without documenting the AN.0.56 advisory timing dates or without reassessment against MHTP goals (PSR review may flag claims outside the AN.0.56 intervals even though Medicare does not auto-reject them).
Related MBS items
Templates that document this item
Note templates inside Grounded Scribe that produce documentation aligned to this MBS item.
In-depth reading in the Library
- Medicare Audit-Ready Documentation: A GP's Guide to MBS Item Number ComplianceProfessional Services Review audits can result in repayment demands, exclusion from Medicare, and public referral. Your clinical notes are the primary evidence in any PSR investigation. This guide details exactly what your documentation must contain to withstand scrutiny.
- A Guide to Clinical Note Templates for Australian PractitionersFrom SOAP notes to MBS-compliant templates, learn how to choose the right clinical note format for your profession, your clients, and Medicare billing requirements.
Source authority
Documentation tests on this page reference the descriptor conditions and PSR-audit patterns covered in our existing Library guides. Always confirm current rules against the official descriptor.
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