What MBS item do I use for an urgent after-hours home visit?

Item 585 (VR GP) or 588 (non-VR GP in rural areas) or 591 (non-VR GP in metropolitan areas) for urgent after-hours visits between 7am–8am and 6pm–11pm Monday–Friday, or 7am–8am and noon–11pm Saturday, or 7am–11pm Sunday/public holiday. For unsociable hours (11pm–7am), use item 599 (VR GP) or 600 (non-VR).

What is the difference between urgent and non-urgent after-hours MBS items?

Urgent items (585, 588, 591, 599, 600) require that the attendance was requested by the patient during the same unbroken after-hours period and that urgent medical assessment was required. Non-urgent items (5000 series) are used for consultations that happen to occur in an after-hours time window — such as early morning or Saturday afternoon clinic sessions — without the urgency requirement.

Can I use urgent after-hours items if my practice routinely opens after hours?

No. Urgent after-hours items 585, 588, 591, 594, 599, and 600 cannot be used by practitioners who routinely provide services in after-hours periods at consulting rooms, or who work for a practice that routinely does so. Use non-urgent after-hours items (5000 series) instead for routine after-hours clinic work.

Item 594 is the additional patient item for urgent after-hours visits — it applies to the second and subsequent patients seen on the same occasion when the first patient qualifies for item 585, 588, or 591. Fee $50.20.

After-Hours MBS Billing

Items 585, 599, 5000–5077 and telehealth equivalents. Fees confirmed against the MBS Book, July 2026 edition.

📋 Sources: All item descriptors and fees on this page are directly confirmed against the MBS Book, July 2026 edition (the official government schedule effective 1 July 2026), checked 19 August 2026. MBS fees change periodically — verify current fees at mbsonline.gov.au before billing. AskMBS enquiry service: 13 21 50 (Mon–Fri). This page is a clinical reference aid and does not constitute billing advice.

After-hours time windows — quick reference

Type	Mon–Fri	Saturday	Sun / PH	Items
Urgent after-hours	Before 8am or 6pm–11pm	Before 8am or noon–11pm	7am–11pm	585, 588, 591, 594
Urgent unsociable hours	11pm–7am	11pm–7am	11pm–7am	599, 600
Non-urgent — consulting rooms	Before 8am or after 8pm	Before 8am or after 1pm	All day	5000, 5020, 5040, 5060, 5071
Non-urgent — home / other	Before 8am or after 6pm	Before 8am or after noon	All day	5003, 5023, 5043, 5063, 5076
Non-urgent — RACF	Before 8am or after 6pm	Before 8am or after noon	All day	5010, 5028, 5049, 5067, 5077
Urgent unsociable — telehealth video	11pm–7am any day			92210 (GP), 92211 (OMP)

Key rules before you bill

⚠️Routine after-hours practices cannot use urgent items (585–600). If your practice routinely opens in after-hours periods, use the non-urgent 5000 series. Urgent items are for genuinely ad hoc urgent attendances only.

📋Urgent items require the request to occur in the same unbroken after-hours period as the attendance. Document that the patient (or responsible person) requested the attendance during that period and that urgent medical assessment was required.

🏥Item 585 (urgent, VR GP) requires reopening consulting rooms specifically for the attendance if it occurs there. A GP on an on-call roster at a practice that routinely operates after-hours uses 5000 series, not 585.

👥Item 594 is used for the 2nd and subsequent patients seen on the same urgent occasion (where the 1st patient qualifies for 585/588/591). Fee $50.20 per additional patient.

🔴Item 599 (VR GP, unsociable hours) and 600 (non-VR, unsociable hours) are for urgent attendances between 11pm and 7am only. Both require the same unbroken period request and urgent assessment documentation.

🌏Item 588 is for non-VR GPs in rural areas (Modified Monash 2–7). Item 591 is for non-VR GPs in metropolitan areas (MMM 1). Use the Health Workforce Locator to check your area.

Urgent after-hours items — Group A11

Urgent · VR GP

585

$155.40 · 100% benefit

Urgent after-hours attendance — VR GP. Mon–Fri before 8am or 6pm–11pm; Sat before 8am or noon–11pm; Sun/PH 7am–11pm. Patient request must occur in same unbroken period. If at consulting rooms — must reopen specifically for this attendance.

Urgent · Non-VR GP · Rural

588

$155.40 · 100% benefit

Same time windows as 585. For non-VR GPs providing services in MMM 2–7 (rural/remote) — deputising or after-hours clinic arrangements.

Urgent · Non-VR GP · Metro

591

$107.75 · 100% benefit

Same time windows as 585. For non-VR GPs in MMM 1 (metropolitan). Lower fee than 588 — metropolitan non-VR urgent rate.

Urgent · Additional patient

594

$50.20 · 100% benefit

Each additional patient at the same urgent attendance as 585, 588, or 591. Used for the 2nd and subsequent patients on the same occasion.

Unsociable hours · VR GP

599

$183.15 · 100% benefit

Urgent attendance between 11pm and 7am, any day. VR GP only. Same request and urgency requirements as 585. If at consulting rooms — must reopen specifically for this attendance.

Unsociable hours · Non-VR GP

600

$146.35 · 100% benefit

Urgent attendance between 11pm and 7am, any day. Non-VR medical practitioner. Same urgency requirements as 599.

Non-urgent after-hours — consulting rooms (GP) — Group A22

Level A · Consulting rooms

5000

$34.70 · 100% benefit

Obvious problem, short history, limited examination. Mon–Fri after 8pm or before 8am; Sat after 1pm or before 8am; Sun/PH all day.

Level B · Consulting rooms

5020

$58.65 · 100% benefit

At least 6 minutes, less than 20 minutes. History, examination, investigation, management plan, preventive health — same time windows as 5000.

Level C · Consulting rooms

5040

$100.55 · 100% benefit

At least 20 minutes, less than 40 minutes. Same requirements and time windows as 5020.

Level D · Consulting rooms

5060

$140.95 · 100% benefit

At least 40 minutes. Same requirements and time windows as 5020.

Level E · Consulting rooms

5071

$239.45 · 100% benefit

At least 60 minutes. Same requirements and time windows as 5020.

Non-urgent after-hours — home / other location (GP)

Level A · Home / other

5003

Derived: 5000 + $31.10 ÷ patients

Short history, limited examination. Mon–Fri after 6pm or before 8am; Sat after noon or before 8am; Sun/PH all day. Travel loading built into derived fee formula.

Level B · Home / other

5023

Derived: 5020 + $31.10 ÷ patients

At least 6 minutes, less than 20 minutes. Same time windows as 5003.

Level C · Home / other

5043

Derived: 5040 + $31.10 ÷ patients

At least 20 minutes, less than 40 minutes. Same time windows as 5003.

Level D · Home / other

5063

Derived: 5060 + $31.10 ÷ patients

At least 40 minutes. Same time windows as 5003.

Non-urgent after-hours — Residential Aged Care Facility (GP)

Level A · RACF

5010

Derived: 5000 + $55.95 ÷ patients

Short history, limited examination. RACF resident (not self-contained unit). Mon–Fri after 6pm or before 8am; Sat after noon or before 8am; Sun/PH all day.

Level B · RACF

5028

Derived: 5020 + $55.95 ÷ patients

At least 6 minutes, less than 20 minutes. Same RACF time windows as 5010.

Level C · RACF

5049

Derived: 5040 + $55.95 ÷ patients

At least 20 minutes, less than 40 minutes. Same RACF time windows as 5010.

Level D · RACF

5067

Derived: 5060 + $55.95 ÷ patients

At least 40 minutes. Same RACF time windows as 5010.

Telehealth — urgent after-hours (unsociable hours) — Group A40

Video · GP · Unsociable hours

92210

$183.15 · 100% benefit

Video attendance by a GP — unsociable hours (11pm–7am). Patient request in same unbroken period. Urgent assessment required. Equivalent to in-person item 599.

Video · OMP · Unsociable hours

92211

$146.35 · 100% benefit

Video attendance by an OMP (other medical practitioner) — unsociable hours (11pm–7am). Equivalent to in-person item 600. On a legacy OMP program? See OMPEP Explained for your key dates.

Audit risk reminder: After-hours items are a known Medicare audit focus area. Ensure your records document: (1) the time of the patient's request, (2) that the request occurred in the same unbroken after-hours period as the attendance, (3) that urgent medical assessment was clinically required. For non-urgent items, the time of the consultation must fall within the applicable after-hours window. Date and time must be accurate in your PMS.

All fees on this page are directly confirmed against the MBS Book, July 2026 edition (the official government schedule effective 1 July 2026), checked 19 August 2026. MBS fees change periodically. Always verify current fees at MBS Online before billing. This page is a clinical reference aid — it does not constitute billing advice. For complex billing questions, contact AskMBS on 13 21 50 (free, Monday–Friday).