MBS - RVG item links

The MBS book has a column labeled RVG. This contains the item number from the ASA RVG book which matches the MBS item number. This is used to correlate the MBS and RVG schedules, and to create a list of RVG items based upon the MBS items already entered onto the account.

Prior to the incorporation of the RVG into the Medicare schedule, this system enabled anaesthetists to compare the two types of billing, and to set a fee using the RVG system while displaying items from the MBS schedule on the account. This is rarely required post Nov 2001, but the links are maintained to provide an easy method of creating a list of RVG items based upon the MBS items entered.

Caution is needed in using this linking system since there are some anomalies. Specifically, there may be more than one MBS item which matches a particular RVG item, and vice versa. This is especially true of item descriptions, and it is recommended that if you use the Create RVG from MBS function, you carefully check the items and descriptions which have been created.

In the pre- November 2001 system, it was left to Access Anaesthetics users to create their own links between MBS and RVG items. This was mainly because of the large number of items in the MBS schedule and the difficulty in matching them all appropriately. The post - Nov 2001 schedules have the links built in for all the items which are likely to be needed by anaesthetists. Even so, it is possible to edit these links if any of them are not suitable for your practice. To do this, open the MBS book and double click on the RVG column alongside the MBS item it is to be matched with. Enter the matching RVG item number into the dialog box which appears. Because the links are stored in the MBS items file, any modifications you make here will no longer be active once you upgrade to a new items file. If you believe we have inserted any incorrect links, contact us so that these can be corrected in a future update.