The Federal Government has received recommendations to overhaul Medicare.

The Productivity Commission’s Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report calls for significant changes to the way general practices and other primary care providers are funded to improve the delivery of “wrap-around care”.

It also calls for the use of digital technology to be improved and for the design of new funding models to treat patients in the hardest to reach areas.

Health Minister Mark Butler, chair of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, says reform is greatly needed.

“The first message is we need to improve access to general practice and primary care. We need to improve access after usual office hours,” Minister Butler said.

“The report also recommends better access for urgent care. It recommends the ability for GPs to be able to bill for longer consults – particularly reflecting the more complex, chronic nature of so many presentations from their patients.”

The Taskforce comprised many primary health care leaders, including the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Vice President Dr Danielle McMullen, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Dr Nicole Higgins, and National Rural Health Commissioner Adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson agreed that immediate action needs to be taken.

“The report is high level vision document with little detail, and potentially sets primary care on a pathway to long term reform,” Professor Robson said.

“However, patients can’t wait that long and need more immediate support.”

The report acknowledges the role of pharmacies alongside other disciplines in the delivery of primary care, but did not make any specific recommendations on the role of pharmacies.

The Pharmacy Guild has been calling for pharmacists to play a greater role in the overhaul of Medicare.

But the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says any blended Medicare reforms need to maintain GP stewardship of patient care. 

Health Minister Mark Butler has argued that the “old system” needs an overhaul, rather than just a funding increase. 

“Yes, there’s got to be more money, but it won’t be delivered on existing systems designed in the 1980s,” he said over the weekend. 

“What the report that we released last week shows is the need to change the way in which the system operates to take account of the care needs of modern Australia.”

The Albanese Government says Medicare will receive a major boost in investment in its May Federal Budget, in addition to existing commitments to establish dozens of urgent care clinics.

Premiers Dominic Perrottet and Daniel Andrews have also called for an overhaul of the system, conceding states needed to have greater responsibility in Medicare.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says National Cabinet will meet again in April to consider more measures on top of what it is already doing to address the issue of health.