After hours Residential Aged Care Facility Attendances (Items 772, 776, 788, 789, 2200, 5010, 5028, 5049, 5067, 5077, 5260, 5262, 5263, 5265, 5267)

Publication date: 1 January 2026

These items refer to attendances on patients in residential aged care facilities. 

Where a medical practitioner attends a patient in a self-contained unit, within a residential aged care facility complex, the attendance attracts benefits under the appropriate home visit item. 

Where a patient living in a self‑contained unit attends a medical practitioner at consulting rooms situated within the precincts of the residential aged care facility, or at free standing consulting rooms within the residential aged care facility complex, the appropriate surgery consultation item applies. 

If a patient who is accommodated in the residential aged care facility visits a medical practitioner at consulting rooms situated within the residential aged care facility complex, whether free standing or situated within the residential aged care facility precincts, benefits would be attracted under the appropriate residential aged care facility attendance item.

To facilitate assessment of the correct Medicare benefit in respect of a number of patients attended on the one occasion at one of the above locations, it is important that the total number of patients seen be recorded on each individual account, receipt or assignment agreement. For example, where two patients were visited (for a brief consultation) in the one facility on the one occasion, each account, receipt or assignment agreement would show "Item 5010 - 1 of 2 patients" for a general practitioner. 

The number of patients seen should not include attendances which do not attract a Medicare benefit (e.g. public in-patients, attendances for normal after-care), or where a Medicare benefit is payable under an item other than these derived fee items (e.g. items that attract a flag fall, health assessments, care planning, emergency after-hours attendance - first patient).