The Other Medical Practitioner Extension Program, in plain language — which of the four legacy streams applied to you, your key dates, and what happens if you don't get fellowship in time.
📋 Source: Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Other Medical Practitioners programs (health.gov.au/our-work/omps). Read 27 August 2026. Program rules and dates are set by the Department and can change — this page summarises what was published at that date; confirm your own enrolment status directly with the Department or Services Australia before relying on it.
Who this is for: Doctors working in general practice without RACGP or ACRRM fellowship who were billing Medicare under one of the old After Hours, Rural or Outer Metropolitan "Other Medical Practitioner" programs, or the old MedicarePlus for OMPs program, before they closed to new participants. If that's not you — for example you're a current IMG on a standard non-VR pathway — the Non-VR GP Billing Guide covers item numbers and fees directly.
What OMPEP is: before 2023, doctors without specialist GP registration who worked in after-hours, rural or outer-metro general practice could enrol in one of several separate legacy programs to access higher Medicare rebates than the standard "Other Medical Practitioner" rate. Those legacy programs closed to new participants, and the doctors already in them were rolled into one program — the Other Medical Practitioner Extension Program (OMPEP) — which lets them keep those higher rebates as long as they keep meeting their original legacy program's conditions. OMPEP itself has been extended more than once; the current extension runs to 30 June 2026.
Which legacy stream applied to you?
Pick the program you were registered and actively billing under as of 30 June 2023 (or 31 December 2023 for MOMPs).
After Hours Other Medical Practitioners (AHOMPs)
For doctors without specialist registration delivering after-hours GP services. Closed to new participants 30 June 2023 and rolled into OMPEP.
Fellowship deadline6 years from your initial enrolment date
If missedNot extended on OMPEP beyond 30 June 2025
Current extensionTo 30 June 2026, if still meeting AHOMPs conditions
If you obtained RACGP or ACRRM fellowship within your 6-year window, you move to standard VR GP billing and OMPEP no longer applies to you. If you didn't, and you weren't extended past 30 June 2025, you now bill under the standard non-VR (OMP) rate covered in the Non-VR GP Billing Guide.
Rural Other Medical Practitioners (ROMPs)
For doctors without specialist registration delivering GP services in specified rural locations. Closed to new participants 30 June 2023 and rolled into OMPEP.
Current extensionTo 30 June 2026, if still meeting ROMPs conditions
The Department's published material doesn't set a separate fellowship deadline for ROMPs the way it does for AHOMPs — if you're unsure whether one applies to your specific enrolment, confirm directly with the Department (contact details below) rather than assuming either way.
Outer Metropolitan Other Medical Practitioners (OMOMPs)
For doctors without specialist registration providing GP services in outer metropolitan areas, registered before 1 November 1996 and enrolled in a specialist registration pathway. Closed to new participants 30 June 2023 and rolled into OMPEP.
Current extensionTo 30 June 2026, if still meeting OMOMPs conditions
MedicarePlus for OMPs (MOMPs)
An earlier, separate program — closed to new participants 1 January 2019, with a final cut-off of 31 December 2023 for existing participants to complete it.
Qualifying threshold20 active quarters of eligible Medicare billing before 31 December 2023
If metHigher rebate access retained indefinitely — not tied to the 2026 OMPEP extension date
MOMPs works differently from the other three streams: it's a one-off threshold rather than an ongoing extension, which is why its rebate access doesn't expire alongside the current OMPEP extension. The Non-VR GP Billing Guide also references this as "MedicarePlus for OMPs (closed)."
Not sure which stream applies to you
This page summarises published Department material — it can't tell you which program your own enrolment sits under, and getting this wrong has real billing consequences. Check your Medicare provider status directly: contact the Department via the Other Medical Practitioners programs page, or call the MBS provider enquiry line on 13 21 50 for a billing-specific check.
Key dates at a glance
30 June 2023
AHOMPs, ROMPs and OMOMPs close to new participants.
1 July 2023
OMPEP commences for practitioners already in one of those three legacy streams.
31 December 2023
Final cut-off for MOMPs — existing participants must reach 20 active billing quarters by this date to retain higher rebates indefinitely.
30 June 2025
AHOMPs participants who hadn't obtained RACGP or ACRRM fellowship within their 6-year window were not extended on OMPEP beyond this date.
30 June 2026
Current end date of the OMPEP extension for AHOMPs, ROMPs and OMOMPs participants who remain actively enrolled and meet their program's conditions.
⚠️ Not a substitute for a Department or Services Australia determination. Whether OMPEP or a specific rebate rate applies to you depends on your individual enrolment history, which only the Department and Services Australia can confirm. This page explains the published program structure — it does not tell you your personal billing status, and it isn't medical or financial advice.