Bulk billing rates for GP services has hit an all-time high of 82.4 per cent in the March quarter, a figure welcomed by Federal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek.

The March quarter figures show bulk billing for diagnostic imaging also reached a new record high of 74.9%; bulk billing of pathology services remains high at 87.6%.

Overall, bulk billing for all Medicare services remained high at 76.5%.

In total, $4.3 billion in Medicare benefits was paid for 81 million Medicare services during the quarter.