Organisational Structure
Medicare Australia's structure is designed to support its strategic direction and the achievement of its outcome of improving Australia's health through payments and information.
During 2007–08, Medicare Australia's executive management team consisted of the Chief Executive Officer, two Deputy Chief Executive Officers, three executive general managers and six general managers. Six state managers also support the Chief Executive Officer.
Medicare Australia's National Office is located in Canberra. Each state has a headquarters in the state capital, as well as a network of Medicare offices, contact centres and payment processing centres.
Executive Management
Chief Executive Officer
Medicare Australia's Chief Executive Officer is Lynelle Briggs.
Ms Briggs was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Medicare Australia in August 2009. Medicare Australia is the Australian Government’s health and aged care service delivery agency. It has 6000 employees and 239 offices throughout Australia.
Ms Briggs is the President of the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management, having been on the CAPAM Board since 2004.
Lynelle Briggs has been with the Australian Public Service since 1980. Her career has involved time in the former Department of Social Security, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Treasury and the then Department of Health and Aged Care. Lynelle also lived in Wellington NZ for two years in the late 1980s, while working with the New Zealand Treasury.
During her career, Lynelle has covered most of the social policy field – social security, health and community services, external territories, employment and labour market support and veterans’ affairs. She has been closely involved in unemployment and retirement incomes policies, health care agreements, private health policy and health care delivery.
She spent two years as a policy adviser to the Minister for Community Services in the mid-1980s. Thereafter she worked in the Prime Minister’s Department, which provided an excellent grounding in government, before moving to Social Security and Health as a Division Head.
Lynelle joined the Department of Transport and Regional Services as Deputy Secretary in June 2001, where she had responsibility for land transport infrastructure, the ARTC rail track lease with NSW, the Energy White Paper,Local Government, the portfolio’s budget and information technology.
In November 2004 Lynelle was appointed to the role of Australian Public Service Commissioner. She was reappointed to the position in November 2007. Ms Briggs was Parliamentary Services Commissioner concurrently. As Public Service Commissioner, Ms Briggs was responsible for the ethical and employment leadership of the Australian Public Service. She administered the Public Service Act, and provided a range of support services to the Australian Public Service. She was most well known for her annual State of the Service report. She was Chair of the Public Service Medals Committee, a member of the Australian Public Service Honours Committee and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Crawford School of Government and Economics at the Australian National University and is on the Salvation Army Red Shield fund raising advisory committee in the ACT.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
The Deputy Chief Executive Officers are Rona Mellor and Colin Bridge (A/g).
National Office Management
Medicare Australia’s National Office includes the following divisions and branches.
Medicare and Associate Government Programs Division
The Medicare and Associate Government Programs Division comprises the Medicare and Veterans’ Affairs Processing Branch, the Associate Government Programs Branch and a Medicare Projects Branch.
The division manages the development and implementation of operational policy across a wide range of programs and related activities. This includes over 20 programs such as Medicare, the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Register, the Rural Retention Program, Medical Indemnity, Hearing Services, the Family Assistance Office, the LPG Vehicle Scheme and payments on behalf of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The division monitors the performance of each program, developing administrative policy for existing programs and for proposed Australian Government initiatives. It also provides the relationship management ‘gateway’ to Medicare Australia’s policy departments.
PBS and Aged Care Programs Division
The PBS and Aged Care Programs Division has primary responsibility for managing the PBS and Aged Care function administered by Medicare Australia. Working with the Department of Health and Ageing and Medicare Australia staff, the division implements new initiatives and establishes the policy business rules and resource requirements for these programs and related activities.
The division also undertakes the business analysis function of systems development to deliver existing and proposed programs administered by Medicare Australia.
Business Solutions and Operations Division
The Business Solutions and Operations Division focuses on strategies for improving the effectiveness of Medicare Australia’s service delivery, design and implementation of key business initiatives. This includes the implementation of programs such as Medicare Easyclaim and the delivery of new online services for customers.
The Business Solutions and Operations Division is also responsible for channel management as it relates to claiming; enhancing Medicare Australia’s relationships with providers, software vendors and peak bodies, and establishing a governance process for the introduction and implementation of new business. The division also manages the non-technical help desk project.
Business Futures Division
The Business Futures Division provides advice to the Chief Executive Officer on Medicare Australia’s changing business environment and opportunities. It is also responsible for articulating Medicare Australia's role in the electronic health arena.
To fulfil its role, the division takes into account Medicare Australia's strategic direction, current service delivery model and infrastructure investments.
Integral to its work is close consultation with colleagues at the Department of Health and Ageing, Department of Human Services, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the National E-Health Transition Authority and the Australian Government Information Management Office.
Program Review Division
Program Review Division manages Medicare Australia’s National Compliance Program which is a key component of its approach to ensuring the integrity of the programs it administers.
The National Compliance Program is a risk-based approach to program integrity. The program includes activities designed to support voluntary compliance and activities that focus on identification and treatment of non-compliance, including fraud and inappropriate claiming.
Medicare Australia promotes and encourages compliance with programs it administers by providing the community and health care providers with high quality information products and services regarding their obligations.
The division has representation in all state capital cities except Darwin, as Northern Territory matters are managed from Adelaide.
Public and Provider Services Division
The Public and Provider Services Division is the custodian of Medicare Australia’s Business Transformation Program.
This program of projects, underpinned by Medicare Australia’s Strategic Direction and National Business and Risk Management Plan, will position Medicare Australia to better meet the changing needs of healthcare professionals, the public, its staff and the Australian Government. It will achieve this through delivering projects which enable Medicare Australia to be more flexible and responsive to workload changes, including electronic Medicare claiming.
Through the States, the division is Medicare Australia’s gateway to the public and healthcare professionals, supporting the organisation’s core business of making payments and collecting and providing information within the framework of its Business Transformation Program.
In National Office, the division is assessing, building, delivering, maintaining and communicating an integrated, single view of change through Business Transformation for Medicare Australia.
Information Technology Services Division
The Information Technology Services Division works in partnership with other divisions within Medicare Australia to develop and operate efficient information and communication technology services.
The divison provides a range of services to keep Medicare Australia systems and technologies operating. These services include the provision of basic desktop services and infrastructure, project management services, technical architecture and service management support of business applications and services.
The division has extensive experience in managing outsourced providers of its infrastructure services, including mainframe and midrange computing facilities and voice and data communications. The division also works in collaboration with third parties to design and implement applications for use by health and aged care providers.
Finance and Corporate Services Division
The Finance and Corporate Services Division comprises the Financial Control and Development Branch, the Budget and Management Accounting Branch, the National Corporate Services Branch and the People and the Governance Branch.
The division provides Medicare Australia’s budgeting and financial management, reporting functions, purchasing, property and office services, security, records management and human resources management.
Legal, Privacy and Information Services Branch
The Legal, Privacy and Information Services Branch supports the organisation by providing comprehensive legal advice on Medicare Australia’s programs and projects, through the Office of Legal Counsel. The Branch also manages Medicare Australia’s compliance with privacy and release of personal information legislation and ensures statutory Freedom of Information obligations are met.
In addition, the branch provides an interface for clients who require statistical information, conducts mail outs which support the organisation’s strategic direction and provides high quality, timely and accurate statistical analyses and reporting of the programs administered by Medicare Australia.
Audit and Risk Assurance Services Branch
The Audit and Risk Assurance Services Branch provides independent and objective assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of Medicare Australia’s internal control framework. The branch also supports the Audit Committee’s review of Medicare Australia’s risk management and fraud control activities and the implementation of audit recommendations by management.
Media, Communication and Government Relations Branch
The Media, Communication and Government Relations Branch works with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to produce and provide high quality information and communication products through a range of print, media and other information services.
Medicare Australia ensures that the Australian public, providers, stakeholders and its staff understand the services and programs Medicare Australia offers.
The branch focuses on providing high level, timely communication advice to the Minister, the Department of Human Services and the Government, health care providers, the Australian public and Medicare Australia staff.
State Management
State managers are responsible for Medicare offices and payment processing centres in each State. They also liaise with the Department of Veterans' Affairs
in regards to the processing of Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme claims.
All Medicare offices provide Medicare services including cash, cheque and electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments and process Medicare enrolments and registrations as well as Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme refunds. Family Assistance Office services are available in all Medicare offices, and customers may also visit a Medicare office to lodge participating health fund claims under Medicare two-way arrangements or lodge claims for the Federal Government 30% Rebate on private health insurance.
The locations for Medicare offices are determined by an analysis of community demographics and billing patterns.
| State | CBD | Inner Metro | Metro | Outer Metro | Rural | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||
| New South Wales | 3 | 1 | 29 | 55 | 88 | |
| Victoria | 3 | 32 | 21 | 56 | ||
| Queensland | 1 | 20 | 1 | 26 | 48 | |
| South Australia | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 | ||
| Western Australia | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 17 | |
| Tasmania | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | ||
| Northern Territory | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Total | 12 | 2 | 104 | 2 | 118 | 238 |
Organisational Structure Chart
Medicare Australia Organisational Structure Chart [PDF, 54Kb]
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Last updated: 18 March, 2010
