We all know that sport and exercise is vital to the health and wellbeing of the Australian public. Physiotherapists, sports physicians (now called sport and exercise medicine specialists) and other health professionals over the years have, through the sports medicine model of care, ensured that Australians stay healthy and continue participating in sport. 

But if you've been paying attention to our media releases, you'll know that despite our lobbying, these team arrangements are under threat. (Click here to read what we had to say)

What are the changes?

In mid October Medicare released its annual update of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) which came into effect on 1 November. Under the old Schedule, sports physicians were listed under Group A16 of the Schedule which required no referral.

In the new schedule, sports physician consultations now come under Group A3 - Specialist attendances to which no other item applies. Sports physicians’ MBS item numbers will be 104, 105,107 and 108 – all of which require GP referral for the service in order for the patient to claim a full rebate. 

Because of this change, long standing referral patterns will be damaged and Medicare costs will increase due to the requirement that a patient visit a GP to get a referral so that they can access the full Medicare rebate for the specialist consultation.

Can a physiotherapist still refer to a sports physician?

There is a lot of confusion out there about whether physiotherapists can still refer to a sports physician. A simple answer is that yes, you still can, but that ‘yes' comes with a big qualification, and might be difficult to explain to your patients.

If a physiotherapist refers a patient to a sports physician, the patient is likely to get a lower rebate than if s/he is referred via a GP. The best idea is to get your patient to contact the local sports physician practice, and to ask for advice. In some cases the rebate difference may be quite small, but there are a variety of rebates that could be claimed.

But what has the APA been doing all this time?

The APA has lobbied fiercely for physiotherapists' right to refer directly to sports physicians. It was a key issue raised in a number of Ministerial meetings, and the subject of several letters and emails to and from Medicare, the Department of Health and Ageing and the minister.

Our concerns were duly noted be the Government. A response from the Minister of Health and Ageing said that we'd be notified in advance before any changes were made. But with the dramatic election result and extended period of care-taker government, changes went ahead without the further consultation expected.

We also identified the issue was one of our key priority areas during this year's Federal Election. Before the election, we wrote to the main political players, and asked them what they thought about physiotherapist's right to refer to sports physicians. Responses from the Australian Labor Party, Coalition Party and Australian Greens can be found here.

And what can you do about it?

Adding your voice to the call for action is important. By emailing Nicola Roxon the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, and your local Federal MP, APA members could tip the balance and have the decision changed.

To give you a helping hand, APA members can click here (you must be logged on first) to preview and download a template for you to personalise and send. Tips on writing an effective letter can be accessed here.

It's important to stand up for the future of your profession, and to protect valuable relationships that result in the best possible outcomes for your patients.

Don't forget to put the APA's email address in the cc box of your email, we want to know how this issue effects you. It's also important to our advocacy activities that we have an idea of how many physiotherapists wrote in.

Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health and Ageing can be emailed at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can click here to find the Federal MP for your electorate, and here to find the email address of your local MP.

Your patients can lend a hand too

Ultimately it's your patients' right to affordable, quality health care we are fighting for. So they'll be pleased to help sway the balance if we make it easy for them.

We are in the process of developing a information sheet for you to hand out to your patients. We will post it here once its finished, so check back regularly.

Want to know more?

The APA has been working in this issue for some time, so if you're after more information, this website might be able to help. Just click on one of the following links to get started.

Physiotherapy referral to sports physicians

Medicare red tape will make life for sporting Australians more expensive on 1 November

Tips on writing an effective letter

Letter to political parties addressing key priority areas

Reply from the Australian Labor Party

Reply from the Coalition Party

Reply from the Australian Greens

Election flyer

If you didn't find the answers you were after, don't hesitate to email us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it