MyMedicare
What is MyMedicare?
MyMedicare is a new voluntary patient registration model designed to help deliver a streamlined continuity of care and to strengthen the relationship between patients, their GP’s and primary care team, resulting in better patient health outcomes.
Supported by recommendations from the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, the recent Commonwealth 2023–24 Budget invests $19.7 million over 4 years in MyMedicare. A further $39.8 million will be delivered to support systems delivery through Services Australia.
Registration in MyMedicare is voluntary for patients, general practices and providers. We encourage all eligible practices to consider registering as the system will improve patient outcomes and enable financial incentives for providers.
MyMedicare seeks to improve health outcomes by:
- consolidating the GP’s role as the primary provider and leader in continuity of care for patients
- strengthening patient relationships with the extended primary care team and increasing multidisciplinary care
- improving communication between general practice and other health providers
- improving equitable access for priority population groups.
A range of incentives are offered for general practice to participate, including for telehealth consultations with MyMedicare registrants.
Key Information about MyMedicare
Registration eligibility:
From Saturday, 1 July 2023, eligible practices can register with MyMedicare through their PRODA account.
A condition of practices registering is that they must be accredited against the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme, practices who are not accredited and wish to register in MyMedicare will have a 12 month grace period to register to become accredited through an accreditation agency.
An exception has been made until 30 June 2025 for non-accredited practices (which includes sole providers) who operate as a general practice service through mobile and outreach models:
- in rural settings
- in residential aged care
- in disability residential settings
- to First Nations Australians
- to people experiencing homelessness.
Practices who provide care to patients in residential aged care or patients who would benefit from the long telehealth MyMedicare linked item numbers are encouraged to register as a priority over the next three months.
Healthcare providers such as GPs and practice nurses who wish to register must work at a MyMedicare eligible practice, be linked to the practice through their organisation register and have a valid provider number. They must be eligible to deliver Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or Department of Veterans’ Affairs equivalent services.
How to register your practice:
Practices can register through their PRODA account. For registration instructions, visit the Services Australia Health Professional Education website. A comprehensive checklist has also been developed to assist practices through the process.
For more information, visit the MyMedicare FAQs.
Prepare your practice for patient registration:
We have developed a simple preparation checklist to assist practices in enrolling patients to MyMedicare.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has published a General Practice Communication Toolkit to help guide practices through registration conversations with their patients. It also includes communication resources and scripts that can be used on your website, patient newsletter, and social media.
Patient registration
Patients will be able to register from Sunday, 1 October 2023, with their chosen general practice.
How patients can register:
- Patients can register through the Medicare Online Account or Express Plus Medicare Mobile app, once completed the practice will have the opportunity to confirm and accept the registration; OR
- Your practice can initiate the registration in MyMedicare on the patients behalf, this process will trigger a registration in the patients Medicare Online Account or Express Plus Medicare Mobile app, which they can then complete; OR
- The patient can complete a patient registration form. By completing this form the patient is providing consent to participate in MyMedicare. The practice will then be required to add the patients registration into Medicare.
-
Practices can upload a patient registration form temple into their clinical software to assist with populating patient details. Practices can then print and provide to patients to read and sign. Practices will be required to file and keep signed consent forms.
Note: Do not open the Word document once downloaded as this will break the field codes embedded in the templates.
Read the guides on how to import a template in Best Practice and Medical Director for step-by-step procedure.
Parents/guardians and children can be registered at the same practice, if either is eligible and registered. A parent/guardian must register a child under 14 years and provide consent on their behalf by completing a patient registration form at your registered practice.
Young people aged 14 to 17 years can register and provide consent without a parent/guardian.
For more information, please visit MyMedicare or contact your Practice Support Officer.
