MyMedicare

Starting from 1 October 2023, Australians holding a valid Medicare card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Veteran card have the choice to voluntarily register for MyMedicare.

What is MyMedicare?

MyMedicare is the new voluntary patient registration model that will connect and formalise the relationship between patients, their general practice, general practitioner (GP) and primary care teams. This is based on the premise that patients have better health outcomes if they see the same GP and practice regularly, and it is also an initiative under the Strengthening Medicare for all Australians plan.

How will this help my practice?

For practices and health providers, these are the following benefits that will assist you in using MyMedicare:

• Access to more information about the patients which will help doctors focus on the patient’s needs
• Access to the new longer telehealth items such as:
  • longer MBS-funded telephone calls (Levels C and D) with their usual general practice
  • triple bulk billing incentive for longer MBS telehealth consultations (Levels C, D and E) for children under 16, pensioners, and concession card holders.

By 2024-2025, practices and health providers have additional access to:

• The General Practice in Aged Care Incentive from 1 August 2024, to help people in residential aged care homes get regular health checkups, personalized care plans, and see their doctors regularly.
• The new blended funding payments to help people with complex, chronic disease who often go to the hospital get better care right in their neighborhood 
• Chronic Disease Management items linked to a patient’s registration in MyMedicare from November 2024
  • *Patients will still be able to get Chronic Disease Management items from their GP even if they are not registered in MyMedicare

Is my practice eligible?

For general practices, they must:

• Deliver healthcare services covered by Medicare
• Be registered in Provider Digital Access (PRODA), Health Professional Online Services (HPOS), and the Organisation Register
• Have one or more eligible GPs in the Organisation Register (*GPs who meet the eligibility criteria may be vocationally registered, non-vocationally registered, or GP registrars)
• Have an accreditation against the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme (*If your practice is not accredited, then you must be accredited within 12 months from the MyMedicare registration date of the practice.)

Your practice may also be eligible for an accreditation exemption if your practice offers general practice services solely through mobile and outreach methods:

• in rural settings
• in residential aged care
• in disability residential settings
• to First Nations Australians
• to people experiencing homelessness

This accreditation exemption is open until 30 June 2025.

How can I apply my practice for accreditation?

Accreditation for the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme is handled by an approved accrediting agency which are:

• Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS)
  • Email: achs@achs.org.au
  • Website: https://www.achs.org.au/

• AGPAL Group of Companies (AGPAL)
  • Email: info@agpal.com.au
  • Website: https://www.agpal.com.au

• Global-Mark Pty Ltd (Global-Mark)
  • Email: Health@Global-Mark.com.au
  • Website: https://www.global-mark.com.au

• Quality Practice Accreditation Pty Ltd (QPA)
  • Email: info@qpa.health
  • Website: http://www.qpa.health

When you have chosen an accrediting agency and have a contractual agreement, you will proceed with the accreditation process:

1. Self-assessment
   • You may be instructed by the accrediting agency to finish a self-assessment in order to see the level of compliance your general practice has with the standards, but the results of this assessment is not a requirement of the NGPA Scheme.
     
     
2. Initial assessment
   • The accrediting agency will visit your practice for an on-site assessment, and check the documents and evidence you’ve given if it’s in line with the RACGP Standards for general practices and/or the RACGP Standards for point-of-care testing. A rating will be given for each indicator and they will advise you if you have not met certain indicators. They will also submit an initial report to you within 5 business days since the on-site evaluation.
     
     
3. Remediation period
   • This is a period of 65 business days where your practice is given time to change and comply with the specific indicators that you have been deemed ‘not met.’
     
     
4. Final assessment
   • To review the indicators that have not been met, a final evaluation will be facilitated by the accrediting agency and a final report must be completed after 20 business days to see if your agency will be granted an accreditation or not.
     
     
5. Determination of accreditation
   • You will be notified if your practice will be given an accreditation. If you have been deemed accredited, then your accreditation is valid for 3 years.

If you need help in getting accreditation and practice management, you can reach out our professional partners; Anna and her team at Strive Practice Management if you’re in the East Coast, and April at Focus Accreditation for the West Coast.

For further details, you can contact your Local Primary Health Network or check the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

How do I register my practice?

In registering your practice for MyMedicare, you should:

1. Make sure your practice is eligible
2. Link an organisation in PRODA to Health Professional Online Services (HPOS)
3. Access the Organisation Register in HPOS to:
   1. register your practice
   2. link your eligible GPs providers
4. Return to the Organisation Register and add MyMedicare program to your practice registration

Please note that you don’t have to go through a second registration if your practice is already registered, and all providers are connected in the Organisation Register.

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Note: The information presented above has been gathered from the Department of Health and Aged Care website and has been updated as of 2023-10-06.

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We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you’re looking for assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au and we would be glad to help you.

Information from this blog has been taken directly from:

• About MyMedicare
• Accreditation under the NGPA Scheme
• Approved accrediting agencies under the NGPA Scheme
• Information for MyMedicare general practices and healthcare providers
• MyMedicare
• The National General Practice Accreditation Scheme