The way doctors and practices manage the assignment of benefit (AoB) from patients is set to change as of July and many GPs are concerned that it may interrupt usual operations and reduce access.
For years doctors have been able to have Medicare rebates that are technically paid to a patient, sent on to them for providing their services through a verbal agreement however new assignment of benefit processes come into effect on July 1.
The changes were prompted by a report by the Australian National Audit Office released in 2023 that found there could be legal risks with this method of assigning Medicare benefits.
Practitioners will no longer need to sign the agreement and instead an electronic or physical signature will be required from the patient or responsible person on an AoB agreement, even for telehealth consultations.
Additional information is required as part of new assignment of benefit agreements with forms such as the DB4e and DB020, no longer in use for this purpose as of July.
Practitioners will be required to keep a copy of the completed AoB agreements for two years and must provide a copy to the patient upon request.
According to the Health Department detail on the changes, there will be no set format for the agreement, but as long as all required information is present and the assignor has agreed, the document will constitute a valid record of assignment of Medicare benefit.
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The department has also said patients would be able to assign a benefit before or after a service was received, but a patient agreement must be made before an MBS claim can be lodged.
Legislative reform was made in able to enact the changes and the Health Department has said the new process would “reflect modern practices while protecting Medicare’s integrity.”
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said the change would create not only an administrative and red tape burden but could potentially affect access to GPs for some patients.
“It’s going to cause significant hindrance, while compliance is really important and a process of accountability is really important, this is going to cause quite a significant issue for patients.
“The reality is if the patient is unable to sign, or if there’s no carer to actually do the signature, the doctor can’t bulk bill that consult, which means that the patient is not going to probably receive that care, or they’re going to receive a bill.
“If you imagine someone who is in a rural or remote area or possibly it’s a fully bulk billing service, trying to get them to do that with every patient is going to be a huge challenge.”
Dr Raman said a number of GPs had raised concern about the potential impact of the changes with her.
“This was one of the key issues raised by multiple GPs during recent discussions on a visit to Karratha,” she said.
“Every additional administrative hurdle may seem small, but collectively they create friction in a system that is already under pressure.
She said this came on top of “a lot” of clinics already having difficulties implementing MyMedicare registration.
Dr Raman said one area which may face some of the biggest challenges with the new process would be residential aged care.
“Many consultations involve nurses, carers and family members supporting patients who may have cognitive impairment or limited capacity.”
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