Can I rely on answers from askMBS@health.gov.au?
10 January 21Doctor B had received written advice from askMBS which he believed was not only wrong, but likely illegal. He wanted to know if he could rely on the advice.
Detailed Reasoning
The …
General
Can I bill to Medicare when a patient is in Australia but I am overseas?
8 January 21Doctor A asked what happens when the treating doctor goes overseas for a week of conference leave while the patient is midway through a course of treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy…
read more >Can I bill to Medicare when my patient is overseas but I am in Australia?
8 January 21Doctor A wanted to know whether billing to Medicare was permitted in circumstances where an Australian, Medicare eligible patient, was overseas working or holidaying, and the doctor was in Aus…
read more >In a public hospital outpatient clinic does a referral to “Dear Specialist” enable Medicare bulk billing?
21 September 20Question: If a clinic receives a referral to “Dear specialist” can this be used by anyone in that practice? Or if it comes to a named specialist, can that validly be used by another provid…
read more >Do you get one item 132 and two item 133’s every 12 months?
31 August 20Doctor A worked in a public hospital outpatient department where they exercised a right of private practice. They thought that they were not automatically permitted to bill item 132 every 12 m…
read more >Are inpatient and outpatient episodes considered as separate for billing purposes, so that when a patient is discharged a new episode of care automatically commences?
26 August 20Question: If the same treating rehab physician sees a patient following discharge in their outpatient rooms, can this be billed as an item 132 (obviously with a relevant referral), or is it an…
read more >Can a GP with surgical training bill item 41764?
17 August 20A general practitioner has asked whether they can claim item 41764 given they have appropriate surgical training to perform the procedure, which is a nasendoscopy/sinoscopy.
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read more >Can oncologists bill item 14206 and does it come under the supervision rules?
17 August 20A practice manager for an oncology practice asked whether the oncologists can claim item 14206 even though it is in the assisted reproductive technology (ART) section of the MBS, because it ac…
read more >Is a written handover sheet a valid inpatient referral between specialists covering each other on weekends, or does it have to be a formal letter?
4 August 20Doctor A was a respiratory and sleep physician who had been trying to obtain clarity around this question. The question specifically related to weekend cover when doctors are rostered to cover…
read more >Are annual enrolment or membership fees legal in a bulk billing setting?
1 August 20Annual enrolment or membership fees have been 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 c…
read more >RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
HOW TO AVOID THE MEDICAL BILL RIP OFF
HOW TO AVOID THE MEDICAL BILL RIP OFF