Heart health check
MBS item 699: Heart health assessment, age 30+, 20+ min
Checked against the MBS in force from . Fee current from .
Item 699 pays a GP for a heart health check in their rooms of at least 20 minutes for a patient aged 30 or over, including blood pressure, cholesterol, a management plan and preventive advice. The schedule fee is $87.10, and the Medicare benefit is 100% of it ($87.10).
Also written as heart health check, cardiovascular risk assessment, CVD risk assessment, absolute CVD risk check, and Aus CVD Risk calculator.
- Schedule fee
- $87.10
- Medicare benefit (100%)
- $87.10
- Consult the same day
- Only if distinct
Official MBS wording
Professional attendance on a patient who is 30 years of age or over for a heart health assessment by a general practitioner at consulting rooms lasting at least 20 minutes and including: collection of relevant information, including taking a patient history; and a basic physical examination, which must include recording blood pressure and cholesterol; and initiating interventions and referrals as indicated; and implementing a management plan; and providing the patient with preventative health care advice and information.
What to check before you bill item 699
Each line links to the MBS passage it comes from.
- By a GP (a non-VR doctor uses the prescribed medical practitioner version) Item 699
- The patient is 30 or older Item 699
- At the consulting rooms Item 699
- At least 20 minutes Item 699
- Not a hospital in-patient AN.14.2
- Not an aged care resident AN.14.2
- Not given by another Commonwealth or State funded service (unless it has a 19(2) exemption, e.g. an ACCHS) AN.14.2
- Collected relevant information, including a patient history Item 699
- Recorded the patient’s blood pressure (part of the basic physical examination) Item 699
- Recorded the patient’s cholesterol Item 699
- Assessed the patient’s absolute cardiovascular risk (Australian CVD risk calculator) AN.14.2
- Started interventions and referrals as indicated Item 699
- Implemented a management plan Item 699
- Gave preventive health care advice and information Item 699
- Explained the assessment and its likely benefits to the patient (or parent, carer, or representative) before starting AN.14.2
- Asked the patient’s consent (or a parent’s, carer’s, or representative’s) and noted it in the records AN.14.2
- The doctor personally attended the patient (a nurse may assist) AN.14.2
- Done by the patient’s usual doctor or practice AN.14.2
How often item 699 can be claimed
Billing item 699 with other items
With a consultation on the same day: only if it’s distinct. A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
Can’t be billed with item 699
- 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) (item 11607)
- Not in association with a heart health check, a health assessment (including an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check), a GP chronic condition management plan or its review, a contribution to a multidisciplinary care plan, or a case conference (including a cancer case conference) Item 11607
Only in some cases with item 699
- Acupuncture (items 197, 193, 195, and 199)
- A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
- General consultation (all 153 items, including 36, 5040, 91801, 91900, 3, and 37)
- A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
- Prolonged attendance on a patient in imminent danger of death (all 10 items, including 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, and 214)
- A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
- Patient-end support for a specialist video consultation (all 32 items, including 2484, 2487, 2490, 2493, 2485, and 2488)
- A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
- Urgent after-hours attendance (all 8 items, including 585, 599, 92210, 594, 588, and 591)
- A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment AN.14.2
Bulk-billing incentive
An extra payment when a doctor bulk bills an unreferred service. With item 699, one of these:
| Item | What it is | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 10990 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM1 practice) | $8.80 |
| 10991 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM2 practice) | $13.35 |
| 75855 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM3–4 practice) | $14.10 |
| 75856 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM5 practice) | $15.10 |
| 75857 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM6 practice) | $15.85 |
| 75858 | Bulk billing incentive, other services (MM7 practice) | $16.95 |
Other versions
Heart health check has 2 items. The others:
| Item | What it is | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 177 | Heart health assessment by a PMP | $69.70 |
Often done at the same visit
Where the MBS is unclear
- AN.14.2 says the items are "to support patients with cardiovascular disease, or patients at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD)", but also that "The intention of this item is to identify CVD in people not known to have CVD." Whether a patient already known to have cardiovascular disease qualifies is unclear. AN.14.2
Common questions
- What is the fee for MBS item 699?
- The schedule fee is $87.10, and the Medicare benefit is 100% of it ($87.10). That’s under the MBS in force from 1 August 2026.
- How many minutes is item 699?
- At least 20 minutes.
- Who can bill item 699?
- By a GP (a non-VR doctor uses the prescribed medical practitioner version).
- How often can item 699 be claimed?
- Once per patient in 12 months. Not if the patient has had another health assessment in the previous 12 months (a time-tiered or menopause health assessment, or another heart health check); an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessment doesn’t count.
- Can item 699 be claimed on the same day as a consultation?
- Yes, if it’s distinct. A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment.
- Can you bill 699 and 36 together?
- Only in some cases. A separate consult on the same day only for an acute problem that needs managing separately from the assessment. (Source: MBS AN.14.2.)
- Can you bill 699 and 11607 together?
- No. Not in association with a heart health check, a health assessment (including an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check), a GP chronic condition management plan or its review, a contribution to a multidisciplinary care plan, or a case conference (including a cancer case conference). (Source: MBS Item 11607.)
- What can’t item 699 be billed with?
- The MBS has a rule against billing item 699 with these: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Each rule and its source is on this page.
- Can item 699 be billed with a bulk-billing incentive?
- Yes. An extra payment when a doctor bulk bills an unreferred service. The items are 10990, 10991, 75855, 75856, 75857, and 75858.
Sources
- Item 699: Group A14 Health Assessments
- Note AN.14.2: Heart health assessment provided by general practitioners and prescribed medical practitioners
- Item 11607: Group D1 Miscellaneous Diagnostic Procedures And Investigations › Subgroup 5 Vascular
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