Levels A to E: what decides items 3, 23, 36, 44 and 123
Checked against the MBS in force from 1 November 2026 · Last updated 13 November 2026
The GP attendance items for a consult in your rooms, Levels A to E, in plain words, the way the MBS Scribe claim check reads them. The descriptors on MBS Online are the authority: each item number below links to its own.
The items at a glance
| Level | Item | Your time with the patient | What the note shows | Schedule fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 | No time set. | A plainly simple problem, with a short history and, if needed, limited examination and management. | $20.55 |
| B | 23 | 6 to under 20 minutes. | Any of: a history, an examination, investigations, a management plan or preventive care, as clinically relevant. | $45.05 |
| C | 36 | 20 minutes or more. | A detailed history, an examination, investigations, a management plan or preventive care, as clinically relevant. | $87.10 |
| D | 44 | 40 minutes or more. | An extensive history, an examination, investigations, a management plan or preventive care, as clinically relevant. | $128.35 |
| E | 123 | 60 minutes or more. | An extensive history, an examination, investigations, a management plan or preventive care, as clinically relevant. | $207.90 |
Fees from 1 July 2026. MBS Online shows the Medicare benefit for these items as 100% of the fee. At every level, the MBS asks for appropriate and contemporaneous records (AN.0.9).
23 or 36: where the line falls
From Level B up, your time with the patient sets the level. Level B (23) runs from 6 minutes to under 20. At 20 minutes it becomes Level C (36), at 40 Level D (44), and at 60 Level E (123). Levels C, D and E have no upper limit in the descriptor, so with one attendance per consult the highest level the time reaches is the one that applies.
If you deal with several problems in one consult, the MBS says to claim one attendance item for the total time, not one item for each problem (explanatory note AN.0.9).
What counts as time with the patient
Note AN.0.9 counts only time spent with the patient on clinically relevant tasks. That includes:
- the history, examination, investigations, plan and preventive care the descriptor names;
- talking with the patient, and with their carer where that’s relevant;
- writing notes, scripts, referrals and forms while the patient is there; and
- looking at or updating My Health Record while the patient is there.
Paperwork after the patient has left doesn’t count, and nor does talking with relatives without the patient. If a procedure is done on the same day, its time isn’t part of the consult time.
When good communication takes longer, for example with an interpreter or for a patient with hearing problems or dementia, that time counts, and a longer level can be reasonable. The note asks for a brief record of why, such as “consultation extended due to use of interpreter”.
How MBS Scribe gets the time
When you record the consult, the recording gives the time. If you were with the patient before you pressed Start, or while the recording was paused, you can add those minutes. Only the recorded part is evidence, so a level that only the added minutes reach shows as Possible.
For Levels C, D and E (20 minutes or more), you confirm the minutes with one tap before you can accept the item. For a pasted note you enter the minutes, and until then the level shows as Possible.
The check also asks you to check the minutes when the time you enter runs more than 2 minutes past the recording, or when the recording ran on for more than 3 minutes after the last thing said. In both cases the level shows as Possible.
The same levels at home, in care homes and after hours
Each place and time of day has its own set of Level A to E items. The table is from note AN.0.74.
| Where and when | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your consulting rooms | 3 | 23 | 36 | 44 | 123 |
| Your consulting rooms, after hours | 5000 | 5020 | 5040 | 5060 | 5071 |
| A home or another place | 4 | 24 | 37 | 47 | 124 |
| A home or another place, after hours | 5003 | 5023 | 5043 | 5063 | 5076 |
| A residential care home | 90020 | 90035 | 90043 | 90051 | 90054 |
| A residential care home, after hours | 5010 | 5028 | 5049 | 5067 | 5077 |
At your rooms, after hours is all of Sunday and public holidays, and before 8 am or after 8 pm on other days (after 1 pm on Saturday). Away from your rooms or in a residential care home, the evening part starts at 6 pm (12 noon on Saturday).
The claim check picks the set from the consult type you choose, a care home when the record shows one, and the time the recording started. It can’t know about public holidays, so in ordinary hours it asks you to check the day isn’t one. A pasted note has no start time, so the level shows as Possible, with a reminder to check the consult was in ordinary hours.
How the claim check shows it
Level A shows as Possible while the consult is under 6 minutes, because only you can say the problem was plainly simple. From 6 minutes it is Not supported.
The level that fits your time is Supported when the clinical content is in the record. The levels below it show as Not supported, with the reason, such as “Level C applies instead”. Each row quotes the sentence in the note behind it. Once you accept one attendance item, the others for that consult show as Not supported.
The same GP can’t claim an attendance item and a chronic condition management plan item for the patient on the same day. If you accept one in a consult, the check marks the other Not supported.
If you bulk bill, Level A goes with the general bulk-billing incentive for your practice’s area (10990 in MM 1), and Levels B to E with the one for general practice support services (75870 in MM 1). See how the claim check works, and the video and phone items for consults that aren’t in person.
Questions
- What is the difference between item 23 and item 36?
- Time, mainly. Item 23 (Level B) is for 6 to under 20 minutes with the patient. Item 36 (Level C) is for 20 minutes or more, and its history is a detailed one where that is clinically relevant.
- Does Level A (item 3) have a time limit?
- No. Level A has no time in its descriptor. It is for a plainly simple problem with a short history and, if needed, limited examination and management.
- Does writing the notes count towards the time?
- Only while the patient is with you. Notes, scripts, referrals and forms done with the patient present count. Paperwork after they leave doesn't (AN.0.9).
- Can I claim one item for each problem?
- No. When you deal with several problems in one consult, claim one attendance item for the total time (AN.0.9).
- What do items 44 and 123 need?
- Item 44 (Level D) needs at least 40 minutes with the patient and item 123 (Level E) at least 60. Both call for an extensive history, with an examination, investigations, a management plan or preventive care as clinically relevant.
This page describes how MBS Scribe’s claim check reads these items, in paraphrase. It isn’t billing advice. The full descriptors are on MBS Online, with the explanatory notes these rules come from: AN.0.9 and AN.0.74.