Chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission Kieran Mulvey expects to make a decision within days on how to try and break the impasse in the row which has stalled the introduction of doctor-only medical cards.
He had informal discussions with both sides in the dispute, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and health service employers, earlier this week.
The only issue in dispute between the sides is whether GPs should be paid higher fees for seeing holders of doctor-only medical cards once they reach the age of 70 and become automatically entitled to full medical cards.
At present, GPs get paid 3½ times more for seeing patients who get medical cards for the first time when they reach the age of 70 than they do for seeing patients over 70 who already had medical cards on reaching their 70th birthday.
The IMO wants GPs to be paid the higher rate for seeing holders of doctor-only medical cards when they reach the age of 70. Employers are refusing.
The dispute has delayed the introduction of 200,000 of the cards promised by Minister for Health Mary Harney last November.
Mr Mulvey said he was now, having had informal discussions with both sides again this week, "trying to establish a basis on which I can either call the parties together and resolve the outstanding issue between them, or make a proposal that would allow both sides to move ahead", introduce the cards and begin a review of the GMS contract, which both sides agreed to at previous talks.
Ms Harney has said if there is no resolution to the dispute before the end of this month she will look at other ways of paying for GP visits for families on low incomes.
She has also told GPs they should not expect to get a 9 per cent benchmarking award if they do not co-operate with the introduction of the cards.