Bulk Billing

As a physio, if I bulk bill a consultation under a care plan, can I charge separately for the splint I provide to the patient?

6 October 25

I know you can’t charge separate gaps when you bulk bill but I thought you could charge separately for consumables such as a splint that I might provide to the patient. Is that right?

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Services Australia says we must use DB1N or DB1H when bulk billing. Does that apply to ECLIPSE claims?

4 August 25

MBS Note AN.0.12 states that “practitioners who accept assigned benefits must claim from Services Australia using either Claim for Assigned Benefits form DB1N or DB1H. Are these forms required…

Does the patient have to sign the bulk billing consent agreement on the day of treatment or can they sign it later?

13 July 25

If a patient has treatment on Monday-Friday, could they just sign on the Friday for all events that week? Or do they have to sign the bulk bill voucher every day at the end of treatment?

…

Do patients have to consent to be bulk billed at each attendance while having daily radiation oncology therapy?

16 June 25

Patients requiring radiation oncology therapy may require daily treatment over several weeks. Are they required to consent to assign their benefit for every radiation oncology appointment?

…

Can nurse practitioners bulk bill public hospital outpatients if they do it under their own ABN?

10 March 25

I am a nurse practitioner (NP) and am locked in a debate with my public hospital employer/management about MBS billing of NP services provided to public hospital outpatients. Is this allowed?
…

If we obtain verbal consent from the patient to bulk bill and note it in the patient’s file, is that compliant for bulk billing?

19 January 25

Is a verbal consent noted in the patient’s file enough? If a bulk billed patient has to provide consent by signature for items put through to Medicare this creates additional admin work, in particul…

Can an inpatient of a private psychiatric hospital attend bulk billed outpatient appointments whether by telehealth or face-to-face?

28 October 24

This question came from a consumer.
I am an inpatient in a private mental health unit in a private hospital. I am under an inpatient psychiatrist. While I am an inpatient, I have a telehealth…

Can we charge sleep study equipment hire fees to patients when we bulk bill their sleep studies?

5 October 24

This questioner said that every time they called Medicare about this, they received different advice and were concerned they may be billing incorrectly. The setting was outpatient sleep studies whic…

Can allied health professionals using a Team Care Arrangement charge a separate gap when bulk billing?

4 October 24

This physiotherapist was under a misunderstanding that there existed a separate bulk billing law just for allied health professionals.

…

When bulk billing, is the patient’s agreement to assign their Medicare benefit required for all items or just the consultation items?

2 October 24

The questioner added that everything they had read talks about telehealth items only. Their understanding was that the assignment of benefit is only required for consultation items but not for…

Can a nurse practitioner bill Medicare for public outpatients when the nurse practitioner is simultaneously being paid by a hospital that does not have a section 19(2) exemption?

30 September 24

I’m a Nurse Practitioner working in a small rural centre. I am a public employee 4 days a week and work privately on one day in the co-located primary health clinic/urgent care centre, which I…

Can we charge facility fees to cover the cost of consumables when bulk billing?

30 September 24

A GP practice wanted to know how to “manage” facility fees for bulk billing patients. The question said that the practice needed to charge this fee to cover the cost of consumables, but the doctors …

Is an SMS or email a valid signature on the bulk bill voucher?

1 August 21

How can I obtain the patient’s signature consenting to bulk billing over a phone call, through a telehealth video consultation or in circumstances where the patient is not required to be phy…

Can we obtain the patient’s signature to consent to bulk billing once, and use it for ongoing care?

20 January 21

The question posed was: Can the bulk bill “Assignment of Benefit” be specific to the hospital setting? We understand that patients sign this upon admission, and while it is not specific to any…

Does the patient have to sign the bulk bill voucher?

21 September 20

BB 2020/061
Last updated 19 September 2024

Answer

Yes

Context

The question asked had two components. The first was whether the patient has to sign the bulk bill voucher an…

Are annual enrolment or membership fees legal in a bulk billing setting?

1 August 20

Annual enrolment or membership fees have become a controversial feature of bulk billing GP practices in recent years. One example was the now defunct National Health Co-op in the ACT, which publicly…

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Topics

Specialities

Bulk Billing

As a physio, if I bulk bill a consultation under a care plan, can I charge separately for the splint I provide to the patient?

Services Australia says we must use DB1N or DB1H when bulk billing. Does that apply to ECLIPSE claims?

Does the patient have to sign the bulk billing consent agreement on the day of treatment or can they sign it later?

Do patients have to consent to be bulk billed at each attendance while having daily radiation oncology therapy?

Can nurse practitioners bulk bill public hospital outpatients if they do it under their own ABN?

If we obtain verbal consent from the patient to bulk bill and note it in the patient’s file, is that compliant for bulk billing?

Can an inpatient of a private psychiatric hospital attend bulk billed outpatient appointments whether by telehealth or face-to-face?

Can we charge sleep study equipment hire fees to patients when we bulk bill their sleep studies?

Can allied health professionals using a Team Care Arrangement charge a separate gap when bulk billing?

When bulk billing, is the patient’s agreement to assign their Medicare benefit required for all items or just the consultation items?

Can a nurse practitioner bill Medicare for public outpatients when the nurse practitioner is simultaneously being paid by a hospital that does not have a section 19(2) exemption?

Can we charge facility fees to cover the cost of consumables when bulk billing?

Is an SMS or email a valid signature on the bulk bill voucher?

Can we obtain the patient’s signature to consent to bulk billing once, and use it for ongoing care?

Does the patient have to sign the bulk bill voucher?

Are annual enrolment or membership fees legal in a bulk billing setting?

Topics

Specialities

Bulk Billing

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