What's new?

May 2013

The Healthcare Identifiers Service Licensed Materials for the May 2013 release are now available.

January 2013

New eligibility requirements for the PIP eHealth Incentive start 1 February.

The Department of Human Services’ Compliance Program 2012—13 is now available.

The 2013 Medicare Teen Dental Plan voucher is valued up to $166.15

The Medicare Safety Net threshold figures for 2013 are now available.

Doing business online

Medicare Australia is offering an increasing range of online solutions for your use. If your practice management software supports these solutions you can:

  • lodge Medicare and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) claims online to Medicare and private health funds
  • lodge a variety of claims including bulk bill, private patient and in-patient medical claims (ECLIPSE)
  • notify the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register of immunisation information
  • perform online patient verification and entitlement checking. Health care providers can confirm patient details before consultation and determine out-of-pocket costs for hospital procedures (ECLIPSE).

More than 5000 sites are using online claiming to save on paperwork and administration and to receive faster payments from Medicare Australia, DVA and health funds. Each month around a million patient verifications are performed online to check the validity of patients’ Medicare numbers. Practices can also verify the status of their claims at any time, and claims lodged online are processed in a fraction of the time required by other methods.

To find out more, call the Medicare Australia eBusiness Service Centre on 1800 700 199.

Make a request for more information, or to have a business development officer contact your practice.

Practice Testimonials

Thousands of practices all over the country are now using Medicare Australia's online claiming services and are finding these services provide a number of efficiencies and cost-savings for their practices.

Medicare Australia has been in contact with a selection of practices around Australia to find out how using online claiming has benefited their practices. Doctors and practice managers spoke of many advantages to upgrading their systems.

Online claiming means less paperwork

Manual record keeping is more streamlined with the newest online claiming system from Medicare Australia. When users were surveyed in 2004, 82 per cent said errors were more quickly resolved and there was less paperwork.

One practice in Western Australia that has made the transition has found it has saved the practice time and money.

'I've just found it a lot easier to do and it's saved me a lot of paperwork and a lot of extra typing', said Wendy Taylor, practice manager for busy Fremantle paediatrician Dr Aida Partridge (June 2005).

"I just think this is a lot more efficient, it's a lot quicker from our point of view. Time wise I would say it probably cuts between five and 10 hours a week", said Ms Taylor.

Online claiming means improved cash flow

Ms Julie Breasley, practice manager at the Illawarra Sleep Disorders Service, said the practice had found debt collection and cash flow had improved since upgrading from Medclaims.

'I like it because not only do we get paid by Medicare Australia much faster, usually in about two days, but we can chase our debts with private patients quicker', said Ms Breasley (June 2005).

Online claiming means a more efficient practice

When users were surveyed in 2004, 95 per cent said Medicare Australia payments were faster and 84 per cent said their efficiency had improved.

IT manager for I-Med/MIA in Victoria, Julian Gully, said they began their task of installing Medicare Australia's online claiming in their clinics because I-Med/MIA saw the previous claim system, Medclaims, as an old and outdated program.

'We had five staff dedicated to processing Medclaims', he said, 'and now those staff are available for debt collection and other areas' (June 2005).

Online claiming is easy to set up

Setting up the new online systems was easy, Dr Nyrie Dodd from the Alice Street General Practice in Sydney said.

'We didn't have to upgrade anything because we already had high speed internet and we already had billing software that had a module for Medicare Australia's online claiming'.

'Overall, we're much happier', said Dr Dodd (June 2005).

More case studies

ACT practices

NSW practices

Queensland practices

SA practices

Tasmanian practices

Victorian practices

WA practices

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Last updated: 7 September, 2010