At the time of writing, we know of two midwives - one in Qld and one in NSW - who have successfully negotiated the legislated requirements for notation as eligible midwives, and are offering Medicare rebates in this way for prenatal and postnatal items. [For details of the rebates payable on midwifery services, go to Federal Register of Legislative Instruments F2010L02640]
We are not aware of any midwife practising privately with Medicare rebates for intrapartum (labour and birth) care in a hospital. The state and territory government health departments are "working on" arrangements for midwives to be awarded visiting access to admit private clients to public hospitals. The other possibility, that a private obstetrician employs an eligible midwife, thereby enabling the midwife to access Medicare, providing services for private midwifery care, presumably in a private hospital, is another pathway that seems theoretically possible. MidwivesVictoria will keep readers informed as information is received.
If you are a 'consumer' of midwifery services - a woman who is pregnant or who is planning to have a baby in the near future - you may be wondering if there is a midwife near you, who is able to offer Medicare rebates on her fees. The names and locations of eligible/authorised midwives will not be posted on this blog, but inquiries will be forwarded to email lists so that any midwives practising privately in the area are able to respond. If you do not want to use the comments function on this blog, please send an email to mipps@maternitycoalition.org.au
4 December 2010
ps: Liz Wilkes from Toowoomba (Qld) has attended the country's first Medicare-Midwife birth. For details follow the link at the APMA blog.
1 comment:
Know Your Midwife is a midwifery practice on the Sunshine Coast that can now offer antenatal and postnatal medicare rebates. Queensland has no visiting rights sorted for any midwives to any hospitals as yet.
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