The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is committed to improving primary health care for all Australians to lay the foundations for a stronger Medicare.
The Government is responding to the recommendations of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report, which outlined a vision for Australia’s primary care system of the future. Its vision is to enable high quality, integrated and person-centred care for all Australians, building on Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022 – 2032.
Four priority areas for primary care reform were identified by the taskforce:
- increasing access to primary care
- encouraging multidisciplinary team-based care
- modernising primary care
- supporting change management and cultural change
Learn more about how we can support your practice with Strengthening Medicare initiatives, like MyMedicare and Assignment of Benefit changes.
What is MyMedicare?
MyMedicare is a voluntary patient registration system that supports continuity of care by strengthening the relationship between patients, their general practice and their usual GP. Registration enables practices to participate in a range of Medicare programs and incentive payments that support accessible and sustainable primary care.
Practices and patients must be registered in MyMedicare to access several linked incentive programs administered through Medicare and Services Australia.
What are the Benefits of MyMedicare?
For practices:
- More information about regular patients, making it easier to tailor services to fit the patient’s needs
- The new longer telehealth items linked to MyMedicare, including longer MBS-funded telephone calls (Levels C and D) with their usual general practice and the triple bulk billing incentive for longer MBS telehealth consultations (Levels C, D and E) for children under 16, pensioners, and concession card holders
- The General Practice in Aged Care Incentive (GPACI) that supports regular health assessments, care plans and regular GP visits for people in residential aged care homes
- Chronic Condition Management items linked to a patient’s registration in MyMedicare from 1 July 2025, to support continuity of care for people with chronic and complex conditions
For patients:
MyMedicare registered patients will have access to:
- Greater continuity of care with their registered practice, improving health outcomes
- Longer Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) funded telehealth consultations with their GP
- Triple bulk billing incentive for longer MBS telehealth consultations for children under 16, pensioners and concession card holders
- More regular visits from their GP and better care planning for people living in a residential aged care home
Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program
The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) supports general practices to provide bulk billed services to Medicare-eligible patients.
Practices that participate in the program can receive an additional quarterly incentive payment on eligible Medicare Benefits Schedule services that are bulk billed. Incentive payments are shared between the GP and the practice and are scaled based on practice location, with higher payments available in regional, rural and remote areas. Using the Bulk Billing Incentives Calculator will help you estimate the possible annual average incentive your GPs and practice may receive under the program.
Useful Links
- Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) FAQs
- NBMPHN BBPIP Practice Readiness Checklist
- BBPIP Eligible Services
- Other resources such as e-learning modules, templates and videos are available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website
General Practice in Aged Care Incentive
The General Practice in Aged Care Incentive (GPACI) supports GPs and practices to provide regular, planned primary care to people living in residential aged care homes.
Registered MyMedicare practices and eligible providers receive quarterly payments for meeting servicing and care planning requirements. Ongoing eligibility depends on meeting all quarterly and annual servicing criteria.
Links and Resources
- GPACI Program Guidelines
- NBMPHN GPACI User Guide (MMM 1-3)
- NBMPHN GPACI User Guide (MMM 4-7)
- GP and Practices Information Kit
Other resources such as e-learning modules, templates and videos are available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.
Better Access Initiative
The Better Access initiative supports access to Medicare-subsidised mental health services, including psychological therapy services delivered by eligible allied health professionals.
GPs play a central role in assessment, referral and care coordination. Mental Health Treatment Plans, reviews and referrals are linked to a patient’s usual GP or MyMedicare-registered practice to support continuity of care.
Links and Resources
Assignment of Benefit
From 1 July 2026, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing changed the Assignment of Benefit (AoB) process for Medicare bulk billed services.
To assist with this change, a 12-month transition period has been introduced to allow practices time to update processes, documentation and conduct staff training, before the full implementation of the changes apply on 1 July 2027.
What’s changed?
- From 1 July 2026, verbal consent will be available in all settings for 12 months
- Consent can be obtained before or after a service, but must be obtained before a Medicare claim is submitted
- Introduction of an enduring assignment of benefit for eligible patients
- No standard form template. During the transition period, practices can use any format, written or digital, as long as it includes the data sets required by the legislation
- GPs are no longer required to co-sign the agreement
- Practices must keep records for two years
Enduring Assignment of Benefit
From 1 July 2026, patients registered with MyMedicare, residents of aged care homes (RACH), and patients of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) or Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) will be able to make an enduring assignment of benefit for ongoing GP bulk billed services, either directly or through a person acting on their behalf.
Enduring agreements entered prior to 30 June 2027 will remain in place for 12 months.
MyMedicare registered patients |
RACH residents |
ACCHO/AMS patients |
| One agreement can cover GP services provided by GPs at the patient’s registered MyMedicare practice (if offered). | Patients can have multiple enduring agreements with different GPs. | Patients can have multiple agreements across different ACCHOs or AMSs. |
| Applies to future bulk billed GP services covered by the agreement. | The agreement can be made by the patient or authorised representative. | Agreement ends if the patient is no longer receiving care from that service. |
| Practices must notify the assignor after a claim is made. | Agreement ends if the patient is no longer residing in the residential aged care home. | |
| Agreement ends if the patient is no longer registered with the practice. |
Support Available for Practices
Our Primary Care Engagement Officers are available to support your practice to prepare for these changes. We provide:
- guidance on AoB transition planning and implementation
- help with changing processes in line with new rules and regulations
- support with Quality Improvement (QI) activities and PDSA cycles
- support to identify improvement opportunities, develop and test changes and embed sustainable quality improvement processes
- assistance with implementing changes and conducting staff training
- compliance reviews
- access to relevant QI resources, templates and tools
How can practices prepare for changes?
Practices can prepare by:
- checking that reception, clinical and billing teams understand verbal, pre-service, post-service and enduring assignment requirements
- confirming practice management software supports the required assignment workflow
- reviewing processes for telehealth, pathology and any circumstances where the service changes from what was originally booked
- ensuring staff know where to find the Department’s FAQs and how to seek support if they are unsure
Resources
