Changes to how GPs will be recognised by Medicare in 2021
Medicare recognition of General Practitioners is changing next year
Changes to the way General Practitioners (GPs) are recognised by Services Australia will come into effect from 15 June 2021.
Under these new arrangements, access to higher Medicare rebates for General Practitioners will be determined by their registration status with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
GPs with Fellowship
Medical practitioners who are awarded Fellowship as a GP no longer need to make an application to Services Australia to access Medicare Rebates. The new process allows Services Australia to use the AHPRA register to determine access to GP rebates through an automatic data feed.
Fellowed GPs must be registered as a specialist GP with AHPRA by 15 June 2021 to maintain access to higher Medicare rebates. Information about applying for specialist registration can be found on the AHPRA website.
Vocationally Registered GPs
Vocationally registered GPs who maintain ongoing general registration with AHPRA will remain on the register and keep access to higher Medicare rebates.
Medical practitioners who intend to apply for re-inclusion to the vocational register must do so as soon as possible. Those who aren’t on the vocational register on 15 June 2021, will not be able to return at a later date.
Information on requirements for re-inclusion and how to apply are available on the Application for Vocational Registration of General Practitioners form here.
Completing your PRODA profile
When completing a PRODA profile, if you are unsure what business type to choose from, Medicare has advised that you only need to choose the closest possible match. Whatever you choose will not affect the ability to obtain a Provider Number or subsequent billing. Our team have confirmed that they simply use this info for data collection. Medicare are aware that the options on PRODA do not align with the options on the ABN website.
If you have any further questions about these changes or any medical regulatory requirements in Australia, please contact our in-house Medical Regulatory and Migration team for advice.
