MBS item

16015
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Administration of Strontium 89 injection for bone pain relief in patients with skeletal metastases when systemic chemotherapy is unavailable or ineffective and conventional radiotherapy is inadequate or unsuitable due to widespread bone pain sites.

Category 3 · Therapeutic procedures[Group T3 · subgroup 1](/groups/T3)

Schedule fee$4,890.05

100% benefitGP, out of hospital—

85% benefitOut of hospital$4,785.55

75% benefitIn hospital$3,667.55

The schedule fee for MBS item 16015 is $4,890.05. Medicare pays $4,785.55 (85%) out of hospital, or $3,667.55 (75%) for a privately admitted patient in hospital. Fee effective 1 July 2026.

Gap for what you charge
-----------------------

Your fee$

Out of hospitalIn hospital (private)

Medicare pays$4,785.55

Patient gap$104.50

Bulk billing means accepting $4,785.55 as full payment, with no gap and no extra charges. [Add incentives](/bulk-billing?item=16015)

Item descriptor
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Administration of Strontium 89 for the relief of bone pain due to skeletal metastases (as indicated by a positive bone scan), if systemic antineoplastic therapy is unavailable or has failed to control the patient’s disease and either: a) the disease is poorly controlled by conventional radiotherapy; or b) conventional radiotherapy is inappropriate, due to the wide distribution of sites of bone pain.

[Explanatory notes and rules on MBS Online ↗](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=16015)

Health fund and DVA rates
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Total fee each scheme recognises for this item in hospital.

StateNSWVICQLDSAWATASACTNT

Guides
------

- [How Medicare benefits work: schedule fees, 75%, 85% and 100%](/guides/how-medicare-benefits-work)
- [Medicare safety nets explained: original and extended (EMSN) thresholds for 2026](/guides/medicare-safety-nets)
- [In-hospital billing: the 75% benefit, the 25% fund benefit, and no-gap and known-gap schemes](/guides/in-hospital-billing-and-gap-cover)
- [Bulk billing incentives and BBPIP explained: 2026 amounts by MM area](/guides/bulk-billing-incentives)
- [The MBS multiple operation rule and surgical assistant fees](/guides/multiple-operation-rule)
- [Assignment of benefit for bulk billing: the changes from 1 July 2026](/guides/assignment-of-benefit-2026)
- [MBS telehealth rules: the eligible telehealth practitioner and phone items](/guides/mbs-telehealth-rules)
- [GP chronic condition management plans: items 965 and 967 explained](/guides/chronic-condition-management-plans)
- [Medicare billing compliance: claim time limits, records and the 80/20 rule](/guides/medicare-billing-compliance)

Data source: [Australian Government Medicare Benefits Schedule](https://www.mbsonline.gov.au/) · Record updated 1 September 2026. Health fund rates come from each fund's published schedule. Verify item descriptors, rules and fees on [MBS Online](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=16015) before billing. This is a reference tool, not billing or financial advice.