MBS item

92521
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Phone attendance by a public health physician for a straightforward problem requiring brief history and limited management, not the first attendance for that clinical indication.

Category 1 · Professional attendances[Group A40 · subgroup 34](/groups/A40)

Schedule fee$23.75

100% benefitGP, out of hospital—

85% benefitOut of hospital$20.20

75% benefitIn hospital—

The schedule fee for MBS item 92521 is $23.75. Medicare pays $20.20 (85%) out of hospital. Fee effective 1 July 2026.

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

Your fee$

Out of hospital

Medicare pays$20.20

Patient gap$3.55

Bulk billing means accepting $20.20 as full payment, with no gap and no extra charges. [Add incentives](/bulk-billing?item=92521)

Extended Medicare Safety Net cap: $71.25 (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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Phone attendance by a public health physician in the practice of the public health physician’s specialty of public health medicine—attendance for an obvious problem characterised by the straightforward nature of the task that requires a short patient history and, if required, limited management; Where the attendance is not the first attendance for that particular clinical indication

[Explanatory notes and rules on MBS Online ↗](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=92521)

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=92521) before billing. This is a reference tool, not billing or financial advice.