Optometry Australia (OA) has welcomed the Government’s decision to reverse the proposed reclassification of intravitreal injection (IVI) Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items to Type C procedures.
In its reaction to the Budget, OA said the decision would “help maintain affordability for patients requiring ongoing sight-saving retinal treatment by preserving existing funding arrangements and reducing the risk of increased out-of-pocket costs”.
In a media release, the organisation said it would continue to advocate for appropriately trained optometrists, “working under robust clinical governance and ophthalmologist oversight”, to play an important role in improving access to this sight-saving treatment, particularly in rural and regional communities, while helping reduce patient out-of-pocket costs and broader system pressures.
OA said the Budget was conservative and did not include direct funding commitments relating to its own submissions, but it said several measures were relevant to the profession and broader eye care sector.
That included reforms to allied health funding arrangements for veterans, including an annual cap for some allied health services but, importantly, not optometry services.
Excluded from those arrangements were the cost of glasses and visual aids, which will continue to be funded separately.
OA said this was important for veterans and providers because retaining separate funding arrangements meant veterans’ access to essential visual aids and optical reimbursement remained protected.
Another important Budget measure was continued investment in small businesses.
Many optometry practices operated as small businesses, OA said.
“Continued investment in small business supports, including financial counselling, mental health coaching and dispute resolution mechanisms, may assist practices navigating ongoing economic pressures and workforce challenges.”
The statement said OA would continue to advocate for “collaborative models of care that better utilise the optometry workforce”.
That advocacy would highlight how optometrists can “support earlier intervention, monitoring and ongoing management of chronic eye conditions such as glaucoma and macular disease, improving access, reducing avoidable delays and helping lower out-of-pocket costs for Australians”.
