For health practitioners
What is case conferencing?
A case conference is a multidisciplinary meeting where a GP or specialist meets with other health providers — specialists, allied and mental health professionals — to discuss a patient's needs, goals and treatment plan. Crucially, case conferences are rebated by Medicare, so you're remunerated for the time you already spend coordinating care.
Why it's different
Real-time, collaborative and billable
Unlike referral letters or phone calls, case conferencing lets a care team consider a patient together — synchronously, and within a Medicare-rebated framework.
| Capability | Case conferencing | Referral letters | Phone calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time, synchronous discussion | Yes | No — delayed | Yes |
| Group consideration of the patient | Yes | No | No |
| Specialist input without a separate referral | Yes | No | No |
| Time spent is billable | Yes | No | No |
| Efficient, instant feedback | Yes | No — delays | No — phone tag |
When to use it
How practitioners use case conferencing
Treatment planning
Prioritise needs and coordinate multidisciplinary care for complex patients.
Clinical roadblocks
Get a multidisciplinary perspective when current management isn't achieving outcomes.
Input outside your scope
Access specialist or allied health expertise you can't provide alone.
Extreme complexity
Bring multiple conditions and comorbidities together for high-risk patients.
Patient compliance
Develop strategies to improve engagement and adherence to treatment plans.
Discharge planning
Coordinate the handover from hospital to community care, improving continuity.
Common teams
Multidisciplinary teams in practice
A selection of the most common case-conference teams — the coordinating clinician decides which disciplines attend, based on the patient.
Chronic pain
- GP — coordinates the patient's care
- Pain specialist — reviews complex medication and opioid use
- Physiotherapist — exercise programs to reduce pain
- Occupational therapist — home and routine modifications
- Psychologist — cognitive strategies for pain-related distress
Diabetes
- GP — coordinates the patient's care
- Endocrinologist — medication adjustments and complex cases
- Diabetes educator — self-management and adherence strategies
- Dietitian — dietary adjustments to optimise glycaemic control
- Podiatrist — foot-health risks and prevention
Geriatrics
- GP — coordinates the patient's care
- Geriatrician — management of complex age-related conditions
- Occupational therapist — home adaptations to reduce falls risk
- Dietitian — nutrition for sarcopenia or malnutrition
- Exercise physiologist — mobility and stability programs
Mental health
- GP — coordinates the patient's care
- Psychiatrist — complex psychiatric management
- Psychologist — therapeutic and behavioural interventions
- Mental health nurse — ongoing medication and adherence
- Social worker — community supports and social interventions
The benefits
Better outcomes for patients, practitioners and practices
Research consistently shows case conferences improve care across many health contexts.
For patients
- Fewer hospitalisations & ED presentations
- Better symptom management
- Improved quality of life
- Safer, more appropriate medications
- Greater understanding of their illness
For practitioners
- More effective care plans
- Faster specialist advice, fewer referral loops
- Stronger referral network
- Learn from colleagues; sharpen decision-making
- More billable time, less burnout
For practices
- Increase clinic billings
- Fill scheduling gaps with billable work
- Free up consulting rooms
- Reduce duplicated, fragmented care
- Attract and retain practitioners
How it works
One coordinator, a team of participants
In every case conference, one clinician coordinates while the others participate.
The coordinator
Decides which clinicians take part, sets the time, guides the discussion, and relays the outcomes to the patient afterwards. The coordinator must provide the majority of the patient's relevant care. This role — and the clinical decisions — always stays with the clinician.
The participants
Contribute expert input and assist with treatment planning, helping the coordinator manage the patient's ongoing care. Participants don't need a pre-existing relationship with the patient.
Who can take part
A truly multidisciplinary team
Medicare allows a wide range of clinicians to participate in case conferences.
General practitioners
Including multiple GPs for co-managed patients.
Physicians
Psychiatrists
Allied health
Mental health
Who can coordinate
Coordinating a case conference
Coordinating shouldn't mean back-and-forth phone calls, emails and calendars. Conference.care surfaces real-time availability so you can lock in a team in seconds.
See how it worksEligible patients
Which patients qualify
Case conferencing suits patients whose care needs are complex, chronic or terminal — living in the community or residential aged care, or preparing for discharge from hospital.
The particulars
Numbers, duration and frequency
How many clinicians?
GP-organised: GP + at least 2 participants.
Specialist-organised: specialist + at least 3 participants.
At least one must be a non-medical professional. Patients, family and carers don't count toward the minimum.
How long?
Conferences align with time-tiered MBS items:
GPs & allied health: 15 / 20 / 40 min.
Specialists: 15 / 30 / 45 min.
How often?
GPs: as often as required.
Physicians & psychiatrists: up to 5× per year.
Allied & mental health: every 3 months.
Neurodevelopmental conferences can be held as often as required.
MBS item numbers
Rebated by Medicare
There are 100+ case-conference items in the MBS, varying by participants, conditions and setting. Here's an indicative snapshot.
GP-coordinated
Indicative hourly value coordinating three 20-minute conferences (items 739/743) plus the bulk-billing incentive.
Specialists
Per 15-30 min — organise (item 820) or participate (item 825) in a conference.
Allied health
Up to standard hourly rates for eligible clinicians.
With 100+ items, getting the number right matters. Conference.care prompts the correct time-tiered item for every conference and flags mismatches — so you don't risk non-compliance.
Get item-number promptsFigures are indicative and for discussion only — not financial or clinical advice. Conference duration, frequency and composition remain clinical decisions for the coordinating practitioner. Please refer to the Medicare Benefits Schedule for full eligibility; it is your responsibility to ensure your case conferencing meets all MBS requirements.
Compliance & security
Built with Australia’s medical defence lawyers
Developed in consultation with Avant Law, the legal arm of Australia's largest medical defence organisation, so compliance is handled as a forethought, not an afterthought.
Supports Medicare compliance
- Automatically allocates the correct time-tiered item number
- Automatic time & participant logging
- Full audit trail and documentation
- Flags teams that don't meet the requirements
Australian Privacy Act aligned
- Built to the Australian Privacy Principles
- Strict role-based access controls
- Minimal data retention
Healthcare-grade security & infrastructure
- Encrypted in transit and at rest
- Securely hosted in Australia
- Independent security audits
What clinicians say
Trusted by practitioners across Australia
As a newly fellowed GP, I cannot speak highly enough of the service. The advice and expertise of each clinician is invaluable, and the team makes it incredibly easy to engage — the technology is both accessible and effective.
Conference.care has transformed case conferences from a frustrating task into a streamlined, high-value process. I've even had patients sit in, ask questions and take ownership of their health. This feels like what healthcare was meant to be.
As a specialist GP passionate about comprehensive care, I'm very impressed with the collaborative care support offered. They've made the entire experience seamless — and made multidisciplinary care enjoyable and simple.
As a physiotherapist, I have found the Conference.care software and the opportunity to collaborate with GPs and other allied health professionals incredibly valuable. It has made it much easier to discuss complex patient cases, share insights, and work together toward clear, practical plans of action. The platform has helped improve communication across disciplines and supported more coordinated care for patients.
Questions
Case conferencing FAQs
How do I prepare for a case conference?
No preparation is required. Patient history and notes can be accessed and shared during the conference, so there's no non-billable prep — though you may wish to review the file beforehand.
Which of my patients benefit most?
Patients with complex or multiple chronic conditions, unclear progress, or high risk of hospitalisation — where coordinating several clinicians could improve outcomes.
Can my practice nurse participate?
Other professionals may take part, but practice nurses, NDIS carers and other care coordinators are not eligible to claim a rebate for attendance.
Can two GPs or specialists co-managing a patient both participate?
Yes — more than one clinician from the same specialty can participate, provided each contributes a different aspect of care.
Does the patient have to attend?
No. Patients can attend if appropriate, but their presence isn't required — many clinicians find planning is more efficient without them. The coordinator relays the outcomes afterwards.
Is it really free for GPs and specialists?
Conference.care is completely free for GPs and specialists. You claim the Medicare rebate as usual; we never take a cut.
We make case conferencing easy
Hold your first multidisciplinary discussion and see the difference for your complex patients — and get paid for the time you already spend.