All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are eligible for an annual Indigenous-specific health check: item 715 on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).

AIHW Press Release 21 July 2016

Medicare Health Assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (MBS Item 715) – PDF 322 KB

See update 22 July For Aboriginal Health Workers
The aim of this MBS health assessment item is to help ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive primary health care matched to their needs, by encouraging early detection, diagnosis and intervention for common and treatable conditions that cause morbidity and early mortality.

For the purpose of this item, a person is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person if they, or their parent or carer, identify them as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

The MBS health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people covers the full age spectrum, and should be used for health assessments for the following age groups:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are less than 15 years old
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are aged fifteen years and over but under the age of 55 years
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander older people who are aged 55 years and over

Indigenous specific measures tool 5th release (dynamic data display)

This tool shows numbers and usage rates of the checks at various geographic areas. Charts and tables in the tool can be customised to show different time periods and, where possible, disaggregations by age and sex.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new web product on 21 July, 2016:

Indigenous specific measures tool 5th release (dynamic data display)

1.The Indigenous health check (MBS 715) data tool provides information on use of MBS-rebated health checks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people displayed using SAS Visual Analytics.

2 The tool shows; numbers and rates of health check uptake at national, jurisdiction, Medicare Local and peer group, and Primary Health Network levels.

3 .This update adds national and jurisdiction data up to December 2015, updated from 30 June 2014.

The page can be viewed at this link: http://www.aihw.gov.au/indigenous-australians/indigenous-health-check-data-tool/

Source data: Excel download (1.5MB XLS)

Helpline: 1800 223 919 or nidisc@aihw.gov.au.

Components of the Health Assessment

The health assessment includes an assessment of the patient’s health, including their physical, psychological and social wellbeing. It also assesses what preventive health care, education and other assistance should be offered to the patient to improve their health and wellbeing. It complements existing services already undertaken by a range of health care providers. This health assessment must include:

• information collection, including taking a patient history and undertaking examinations and investigations as required;
• making an overall assessment of the patient;
• recommending appropriate interventions;
• providing advice and information to the patient;
• keeping a record of the health assessment, and offering the patient a written report about the health assessment, with recommendations about matters covered by the health assessment; and
• offering the patient’s carer (if any, and if the medical practitioner considers it appropriate and the patient agrees) a copy of the report or extracts of the report relevant to the carer.

As part of a health assessment, a medical practitioner may develop a simple strategy for the good health of the patient. The strategy should identify any services the patient needs and the actions the patient, or parent or carer, should take. It should be developed in collaboration with the patient, or parent or carer, and documented in the written report on the assessment that is offered to the patient, and/or patient’s carer.