For general practice
MBS item 900, in plain terms
Item 900 is what a GP claims for taking part in a Home Medicines Review. It pays $185.35 and it is the only MBS item involved, because the pharmacist is paid separately by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator. Here is the descriptor, what you actually have to do to claim it, and the eligibility change coming in 2027.
The short version
One item, one claim, once a year.
You assess the patient, you refer them, you get the report back, you talk it through with the pharmacist, and you agree a written medication management plan with the patient. That sequence is the item.
The fee is $185.35 and the benefit is 100% of it, so there is no gap. It is claimable once every 12 months per patient, sooner if their condition or their medicines have changed significantly.
The patient pays nothing at any point. Neither does the practice. The pharmacist bills the Commonwealth separately through a different program entirely.
Item 900 at a glance
| Schedule fee | $185.35 |
|---|---|
| Benefit | 100%, so $185.35 |
| Who claims | The referring GP |
| Frequency | Once per 12 months per patient |
| Patient cost | Nothing |
| Setting | Community. Not hospital, not residential aged care |
Schedule fee current as at 1 July 2026. MBS fees are indexed on 1 July each year, so check MBS Online before relying on the figure.
The descriptor
The 5 things the item actually requires.
Item 900 is written as a sequence, not a single act. All 5 parts have to happen for the claim to be sound. In practice 3 of them are things you would do anyway.
Assess
That the patient has a chronic medical condition or a complex medication regimen, and that their therapeutic goals are not being met. There is no minimum number of medicines in the descriptor.
Refer
To a community pharmacy or a credentialed pharmacist, with the patient's consent, and provide the clinical information the review needs.
Discuss
The findings with the reviewing pharmacist, including the suggested medication management strategies. A phone call is enough.
Plan and provide
Develop a written medication management plan with the patient, then provide it to the community pharmacy the patient chooses.
The one people miss. Step 3 is a requirement, not a courtesy. A report that lands in the inbox and is never discussed does not complete the item. We ring you, or we take your call, whichever suits the practice. It is usually 5 minutes.
Who gets paid what
Item 900 is not the pharmacist's fee.
This causes more confusion than anything else about the program. There are two separate funding streams and they do not touch each other.
| Paid to | Through | For | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The GP | MBS item 900 | Your participation in the review | $185.35 |
| The pharmacist | Pharmacy Programs Administrator | Initial review and report | $222.77 |
| The pharmacist | Pharmacy Programs Administrator | First follow-up visit | $111.39 |
| The pharmacist | Pharmacy Programs Administrator | Second follow-up visit | $55.70 |
| The patient | Nothing | Nothing | $0 |
Pharmacist service fees are set in the HMR Program Rules and are not subject to GST. They were not indexed on 1 July 2026.
Rules worth knowing before you refer
Three deadlines that quietly kill claims.
90 days
The patient interview has to happen within 90 days of the referral date. Past that the pharmacist cannot be paid, and the review usually has to start again. We track this per referral and chase it before it lapses.
30 a month
A credentialed pharmacist can be paid for no more than 30 initial reviews per calendar month, across every service provider they work for. Follow-up visits are excluded from that count.
1 month to 9 months
A follow-up visit can happen no earlier than a month after the initial interview and no later than 9 months after it. The second follow-up is also capped at 9 months from the initial interview, not from the first follow-up.
Item 245, and item 903
Item 245 is the same service claimed by a prescribed medical practitioner rather than a GP. The fee is $148.25. Items 245 and 900 are mutually exclusive for the same patient in the same 12 months.
Item 903 is the residential aged care equivalent, a Residential Medication Management Review. Different program, different setting, and not what this page is about.
Coming 1 July 2027
The eligibility test is changing.
From 1 July 2027 a patient will only be eligible for a review if they have a GP chronic condition management plan that was put in place or reviewed in the previous 18 months.
The group that gets caught is the one still sitting on a pre-July 2025 GP Management Plan that was never converted. Transitional access under those plans ends 30 June 2027, and nothing in your software will flag it.
Common questions about item 900
How much does MBS item 900 pay?
The schedule fee is $185.35 and the benefit is 100% of the schedule fee, so $185.35 in full. That is current as at 1 July 2026. MBS fees are indexed on 1 July each year.
Who claims item 900, the GP or the pharmacist?
The GP. There is no MBS item for the reviewing pharmacist. The pharmacist is paid separately by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator under the Home Medicines Review program, at $222.77 for the initial review.
How often can item 900 be claimed for the same patient?
Once every 12 months, where it is clinically appropriate. It can be claimed sooner if there has been a significant change in the patient's medical condition or medication management plan that requires a new review.
Is there a minimum number of medicines for item 900?
No. The descriptor asks you to assess that the patient has a chronic medical condition or a complex medication regimen, and that their therapeutic goals are not being met. It sets no medicine count. Some services quote a figure of 5 or more, but that is a rule of thumb rather than the rule.
Can I claim item 900 for a patient in residential aged care?
No. Item 900 is for patients living in a community setting. A patient in a residential aged care facility is covered by a Residential Medication Management Review under item 903 instead. Independent living in a retirement village usually counts as a community setting.
Does the patient pay anything?
No. The benefit is 100% of the schedule fee, so there is no gap for the practice to collect, and the pharmacist's side is funded entirely through the Commonwealth. The patient pays nothing at any point.
Do I have to talk to the pharmacist to claim it?
Yes. Discussing the results of the review with the reviewing pharmacist is written into the descriptor. It is usually a short phone call.
What is the difference between item 900 and item 245?
Item 900 is claimed by a general practitioner. Item 245 is the same service claimed by a prescribed medical practitioner, at a fee of $148.25. A patient can have one or the other in a 12 month period, not both.
Refer one and see how it runs
No sign-up, no portal and no commitment. Send one referral and judge us on the report.