MBS item

5039
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Emergency medicine specialist develops initial goals of care for gravely ill patient without existing goals in private hospital ED, following assessment under specified items.

Category 1 · Professional attendances[Group A21 · subgroup 2](/groups/A21)

Schedule fee$170.50

100% benefitGP, out of hospital—

85% benefitOut of hospital$144.95

75% benefitIn hospital$127.90

The schedule fee for MBS item 5039 is $170.50. Medicare pays $144.95 (85%) out of hospital, or $127.90 (75%) for a privately admitted patient in hospital. Fee effective 1 July 2026.

Gap for what you charge
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Your fee$

Out of hospitalIn hospital (private)

Medicare pays$144.95

Patient gap$25.55

Bulk billing means accepting $144.95 as full payment, with no gap and no extra charges. [Add incentives](/bulk-billing?item=5039)

Extended Medicare Safety Net cap: $500.00 (300% of the schedule fee, up to $500.00). Once a patient reaches the EMSN threshold, the extra benefit for this item is 80% of their out-of-pocket cost, but no more than this cap. [How safety nets work](/guides/medicare-safety-nets)

Item descriptor
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Professional attendance at a recognised emergency department of a private hospital by a specialist in the practice of the specialist’s specialty of emergency medicine for preparation of goals of care by the specialist for a gravely ill patient lacking current goals of care if: (a) the specialist takes overall responsibility for the preparation of the goals of care for the patient; and (b) the attendance is the first attendance by the specialist for the preparation of the goals of care for the patient following the presentation of the patient to the emergency department; and (c) the attendance is in conjunction with, or after, an attendance on the patient by the specialist that is described in item 5001, 5004, 5011, 5012, 5013, 5014, 5016, 5017 or 5019

[Explanatory notes and rules on MBS Online ↗](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=5039)

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

StateNSWVICQLDSAWATASACTNT

Guides
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- [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=5039) before billing. This is a reference tool, not billing or financial advice.