MyMedicare

Brisbane North PHN welcomes the introduction of MyMedicare, a voluntary patient registration system for general practices. Brisbane North PHN have been been collaborating closely with community and general practices in our region to enhance their understanding of and preparedness for the MyMedicare introduction.

Learn about MyMedicare

Access education resources, and webinars to learn about MyMedicare, why it is important, eligibility, and how to register.

MyMedicare:

strengthens the role of general practice in the Australian health system
improves access to care via telehealth, supports GP services to aged care and supports patients who are frequent hospital users
encourages continuity of care for patients
is a mechanism to enhance services to patients whose needs may not be met though a solely fee-for-service system, including older people, First Nations people, those who are homeless or have chronic and complex conditions
formalises the long-term doctor-patient relationship
supports a shift from episodic care to longitudinal, preventive, multidisciplinary-based models of care
recognises GPs as best placed to provide care that is patient and community centred.

Practices will have better information about which patients see them as their usual practice, making it easier to tailor services to fit their needs. If you don't register your practice, your patients may register with another practice.

My Medicare:

supports practices to provide preventive care and early treatment allowing patients to stay active and healthier in the community for longer
promotes having an established relationship with a nominated GP/practice for seamless, integrated and continuous care, and where patient needs are understood and prioritised
reduces fragmentation of care caused by multiple service providers
longer telehealth appointments that will benefit people with disabilities or mobility issues that find it difficult to get to face-to-face appointments
supports the delivery of quality and continuous care to residents in aged care

MyMedicare eligibility and practice registration

To be eligible for MyMedicare, general practices must:

provide Medicare-funded services
be registered in the following Services Australia systems:
Provider Digital Access (PRODA)
Health Professional Online Services (HPOS)
the Organisation Register
have at least one eligible GP linked to the practice in the Organisation Register. Eligible GPs can be a vocationally registered GP, non-vocationally registered GP or a GP registrar.
be accredited against the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme – non-accredited practices will have 12 months to gain accreditation through a registered accreditation agency from the date they register in MyMedicare as a practice.

An accreditation exemption is available until 30 June 2025. This is available to non-accredited practices (including sole providers) who deliver general practice services entirely through mobile and outreach models:

in rural settings
in residential aged care
in disability residential settings
to First Nations Australians
to people experiencing homelessness

To register: link your Organisation in PRODA to the Health Professional Online Services (HPOS). Once linked, you can access the HPOS Organisation Register to register your practice and link eligible providers.

For more information regarding accreditation exemptions for non-traditional practices please visit our accreditation page.

Patient registration

There are three ways patients can register with your practice in MyMedicare:

via their Medicare Online Account or the Express Plus Medicare mobile application
the practice may start the registration in MyMedicare. This will trigger a registration in the patients’ Medicare Online Account or Express Plus Medicare mobile application
with the patient registration form completed at the practice. Practice staff will then complete the registration in the MyMedicare system.

Suggested ways to increase patient registration

Reception staff can check if patients are registered when patients check in for their appointment and, if not, provide a pre-filled registration form template from your clinical software
Print off pre-filled forms for large patient groups such as residential aged care home patients using these instructions
Doctors can check if the patient is registered for MyMedicare in their MyHealth Record and if not, annotate billing at end of appointment for reception to provide a registration form
Use Primary sense patient list reports to identify patients with chronic conditions and check if they are registered for MyMedicare

See our supporting resources on the right hand side panel.