MBS item 91857 ===== Phone consultation by midwife, obstetrician, or GP within 1–4 weeks after private birth, at least 20 minutes, for postnatal care; once per pregnancy. Category 3 · Therapeutic procedures[Group T4 · subgroup 2](/groups/T4) Schedule fee$63.90 100% benefitGP, out of hospital— 85% benefitOut of hospital$54.35 75% benefitIn hospital— The schedule fee for MBS item 91857 is $63.90. Medicare pays $54.35 (85%) out of hospital. Fee effective 1 July 2026. Gap for what you charge ----------------------- Your fee$ Out of hospital Medicare pays$54.35 Patient gap$9.55 Bulk billing means accepting $54.35 as full payment, with no gap and no extra charges. [Add incentives](/bulk-billing?item=91857) Extended Medicare Safety Net cap: $41.54 (65% of the schedule fee). 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 --------------- Postnatal phone attendance (other than a service to which any other item applies) if: (a) the attendance is rendered by: (i) a practice midwife (on behalf of and under the supervision of the medical practitioner who attended the birth); or (ii) an obstetrician; or (iii) a general practitioner; and (b) is between 1 week and 4 weeks after the birth; and (c) lasts at least 20 minutes; and (d) is for a patient who was privately admitted for the birth; and (e) is for a pregnancy in relation to which a service to which item 82130, 82135 or 82140 of the Health Insurance (Section 3C Midwife and Nurse Practitioner Services) Determination 2020 or item 91214, 91215, 91221 or 91222 is not provided. Applicable once for a pregnancy [Explanatory notes and rules on MBS Online ↗](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=91857) 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=91857) before billing. This is a reference tool, not billing or financial advice.