Changes to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioner (RACGP)'s voluntary accreditation scheme for general practitioners has broadened eligibility, allowing mobile services, such as doctors visiting aged care homes, to be accredited as GP practices.

"This means that many mobile medical services delivering much needed primary healthcare exclusively to assisted living facilities and homeless people may now be recognised as general practice services," reported the RACGP's news service.

Accreditation for GP services can result in greater eligibility for Medicare incentive payments, meaning the change may result in an increase in services delivered in settings such as aged care.

The change "will allow GPs to provide more mobile care," said Melbourne-based GP Dr Gaveen Jayarajan, who has operated a mobile clinic in multiple aged care homes on a full-time basis for seven years.

Dr Jayarajan, who has approximately 150 patients he sees on a regular basis, conducts face-to-face consultations in aged care homes, as opposed to a bricks-and-mortar medical centre.

"It has previously seemed a bit unfair that we’ve missed out on accreditation and crucial incentive payments when we’re definitely doing general practice, just in a more complex setting often with more complex patients.

"For the first time, we could be eligible for up to $430 incentive payments per nursing home patient."