Can one therefore charge the private fee, patient immediately claim from Medicare and effectively only end up paying the gap on the day? Bit of admin and likely some bank fees but sounds promising T
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ken Harvey Sent: Wednesday, 26 July 2006 8:19 AM To: General Practice Computing Group Talk Subject: [GPCG_TALK] Eftpos Medicare on the cards: Hockey Eftpos Medicare on the cards: Hockey Author: Julian Bajkowski Date: 25/07/2006 The Financial Review, Page: 10 [copied as fair us] It has taken more than 20 years, but by July next year it could be possible to claim Medicare refunds over the counter at doctors' surgeries using Eftpos with an existing Medicare magnetic strip card. Human Services Minister Joe Hockey said during a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia yesterday that the plan was intended to act as a bridging mechanism until banks, credit card companies, doctors and pharmacists introduced smartcard-ready terminals over the next three years. The pay-off would be that millions of people would not have to queue at Medicare offices. The scheme, which is still to be approved by the cabinet, would be funded separately from the government's $1.1 billion welfare smartcard. The smartcard is slated for introduction between 2008 and 2011. "If we do go ahead with an Eftpos solution, we will move very fast," Mr Hockey said. PricewaterhouseCoopers had been commissioned to investigate the viability of the proposal, including an estimate that many existing Medicare cards would be able to be read by Eftpos card readers. A determination was expected within four weeks. The potential transaction revenue for banks, which collectively own the Eftpos network, is substantial. In the last financial year, there were $10 billion worth of Medicare refunds, a process that generated 17 million individual cheques. Banks already vying for the potential business are understood to include the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which has the largest number of Eftpos terminals, and the National Australia Bank, which owns the Health Industry Claims and Payment Services used by the private health insurance industry. However, one question that banks want answered before bidding for the scheme is how it will be received by doctors, particularly general practitioners. Australian Medical Association technology spokesman Peter Garcia-Webb said that his organisation favoured faster processing of Medicare claims so that neither doctors nor claimants were left out of pocket for any length of time. Mr Hockey said claiming for Medicare refunds through an Eftpos-driven system would be advantageous for doctors because it would greatly expedite the process of refunding doctors for bulk-billed consultations. Mr Hockey has previously expressed disappointment with bank proposals for the smartcard. However, relations between the minister and the banking community appear to have been repaired. "I think some of the banks have reacted well . . . it took a little prodding, with an electric prod occasionally," Mr Hockey told the committee. _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
