6Limitation on certain individual items

6 Limitation on certain individual items

(1) This section applies to items 80000, 80005, 80010, 80015, 80100, 80105, 80110, 80115, 80125, 80130, 80135, 80140, 80150, 80155, 80160 and 80165 in Schedule 2. (2) From 1 March 2012 until midnight 31 December 2012, for any particular patient, an item mentioned in subsection (1) applies in a calendar year only if the service described in the item is: (a) one of the first 10 relevant services provided to the patient in the calendar year; or (b) if exceptional circumstances exist in relation to the patient—one of the first 16 relevant services provided to the patient in the calendar year. (3) From 1 January 2013, for any particular patient, an item mentioned in subsection (1) applies in a calendar year only if the service described in the item is one of the first 10 relevant services provided to the patient in the calendar year. (4) In this section: (a) exceptional circumstances exist in relation to a patient if: (i) the patient has, in a calendar year, received at least 10 relevant services; and (ii) the patient’s referring medical practitioner is satisfied that there has been a significant change in the patient’s clinical condition or care circumstances which necessitates a further referral for a service described in an item mentioned in the definition of relevant service; and (b) relevant service means a service to which any of items 2721 to 2727 of the general medical services table, or items 80000 to 80015, 80100 to 80115, 80125 to 80140, or 80150 to 80165 in Schedule 2, apply.