To the Editor: A 2010 research paper published by the Journal showed long-term changes to Medicare-subsidised general practitioner consultations.1 Long (level C and D) consultations declined considerably between 2005 and the end of the study in 2009. The decline was not explained by the introduction of special items (eg, chronic disease management items) onto the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Level A consultations increased substantially over the same period. Subsequent research showed that two different supply-side changes underpinned the changes in level C and D consultation rates.2
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