Medicare Eligibility Criteria
On 1 November 2021, two new items for faecal calprotectin testing were added to the MBS. Certain patients may now be eligible for a Medicare rebate.
New items 66522 and 66523
66522
Faecal calprotectin test for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, if all the following apply: the patient is under 50 years of age; the patient has gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of inflammatory or functional bowel disease of more than 6 weeks' duration; infectious causes have been excluded; the likelihood of malignancy has been assessed as low; no relevant clinical alarms are present.
66523
Faecal calprotectin test for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, if all the following apply: the results of a service to which item 66522 applies were inconclusive for the patient (that is, the results showed a faecal calprotectin level of more than 50 μg/g but not more than 100 μg/g); the patient has ongoing gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of inflammatory or functional bowel disease; the service is requested by a specialist or consultant physician practising as a specialist gastroenterologist; the request indicates that an endoscopic examination is not initially required; no relevant clinical alarms are present.