90 day pay doctor cheque scheme
Submitting claims electronically
Under the 90 day pay doctor cheque scheme, Medicare Australia will automatically cancel Medicare cheques made payable to eligible health professionals through their patient when the cheque hasn’t been banked after 90 days. The amount is then paid directly into the health professional’s nominated bank account.
Eligible health professionals include registered GPs, specialists and consultant physicians (including pathologists).
| Eligible health professionals | Lodge claims electronically | Lodge claims manually | Automatically eligible for scheme | Need to register for scheme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| GP, specialist, consultant physician, pathologist | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Specialist, consultant physician, pathologist | No | Yes | No | No |
| Optometrists, allied health professionals, dentists | No | No | No | No |
Submitting claims electronically
If an eligible health professional chooses to submit their unpaid patient claims electronically, they will be automatically eligible under the scheme and will not need to register.
Health Professionals Online Service
From March 2010, eligible health professionals will be able to subscribe to receive their 90 day pay doctor cheque scheme EFT payment statements through the Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) mail box. This means no longer having to wait for EFT statements in the mail.
For more information go to HPOS
Registration
GPs who do not lodge claims electronically will still need to register to participate in the scheme.
Complete the application form below and return it by fax or mail.
Fax: 08 8274 9307
Mail:
Medicare Australia
GPO Box 570
Adelaide SA 5001
For more information about the scheme call 132 150*
For more information about registrations call 1800 032 259**
*Call charges apply.
**Call charges apply from mobile and pay phones only.
More information
- Pathology Information—90 day pay doctor cheque scheme for electronic claiming [PDF, 507Kb]

- General Information—90 day pay doctor cheque scheme for electronic claiming [PDF, 501Kb]

- Provider registration for EFT payments [PDF, 190Kb]

Note:
- The scheme does not include optometrists, allied health professionals and dentists.
- Medicare Australia is not liable for any bank fees/charges incurred where a health professional presents a cheque to their bank 90 days or more after the issue date and incurs dishonour bank charges.
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Last updated: 20 April, 2011
