Apology for cross-posting to those who have received this via the
nat-div list.
This week's Friday Fax from the RACGP points to:
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/providers/programs_services/medicare
/electronic-claiming.shtml
"How it works
Bulk bill claims:
1. The patient's Medicare card is swiped through your EFTPOS terminal
2. some basic information is entered on the keypad. For most GP bulk
bill claims this will be no more than five keystrokes, more for
specialists"
How many more? What is the minimum number and what is the maximum
number of keystrokes that specialists' staff will have to enter? This
vague (deliberately so, I suspect) statement reminds of the
advertisement for one brand of electric kettle of 2L capacity, which
said that it could boil 1 cup (250mL) of water in 30 seconds, and that
boiling 2L would take "a little longer". I presume that 2L of water
would have taken 8 x 30 seconds = 4 minutes to boil. Is this only a
"little longer" than 30 seconds or is it in fact eight times as long?
How many more keystrokes than five will specialists' staff have to enter?
" * the claim is automatically encrypted and sent to Medicare,
entitlements are verified and an approval message is sent back to the
terminal
3. the patient then presses "OK/Yes" to assign their Medicare benefit
to the doctor and the terminal prints a patient receipt.
No more batching or storing claims and payment is received usually on
the next working day."
Why only on the next working day and not within the next minute? What
prevents payment within the next minute?
"Paid patient claims:
1. The patient pays as usual (cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS)
and their Medicare card is swiped through your EFTPOS terminal
2. some basic information is entered on the keypad. For most claims
this will be around ten keystrokes, more for specialists"
How many more? What is the minimum number and what is the maximum
number of keystrokes that specialists' staff will have to enter?
" * the claim is automatically encrypted and sent to Medicare,
entitlements are verified and an approval message is sent back to the
terminal
3. the patient swipes their bank debit card through the EFTPOS
terminal and enters their PIN. The Medicare rebate is paid directly into
their bank account almost instantly.
So the patient pays in full, in our practice usually using a credit or
debit card - that's one swipe. Then their Medicare card is swiped.
Then at step 3 their "bank debit card" (won't credit cards work for
this?) is swiped. Perhaps we should adapt and adopt the American
baseball motto: "Three swipes and you're out".
"Unpaid accounts
1. The patient's Medicare card is swiped through your EFTPOS terminal
2. some basic information is entered on the keypad. For most claims
this will be around ten keystrokes, more for specialists"
How many more? What is the minimum number and what is the maximum
number of keystrokes that specialists' staff will have to enter?
" * the claim is automatically encrypted and sent to Medicare,
entitlements are verified and an approval message is sent back to the
terminal
3. a cheque is sent from Medicare Australia to the patient who then
brings it back to the practice.
A CHEQUE IS SENT in this all singing all dancing electric system "to the
patient who then brings it back to the practice", which will have to
physically take it to the bank to deposit said piece of paper. IS THIS
PROGRESS ?
"Frequently asked questions
Do I need any special equipment?
If you already have an EFTPOS terminal in your practice you don't need
any other equipment. Participating financial institutions will make sure
terminals can provide electronic Medicare claiming and will also provide
practices with training materials."
What if the bank that supplies our EFTPOS terminal decides not to
participate?
"Will I need to change my computer software?
No. The new system is stand-alone using the existing tried and proven
EFTPOS network. It is not integrated with practice software."
Heaven forbid that we would an integrated system. So the practice has
to record the transaction first in our computer system, then do it all
again via the EFTPOS terminal. IS THIS PROGRESS?
I watched the video demonstration on the Website. I note that the good
news in the video narration that the patient "still pays by whichever
way the doctor requests". Not by the whichever way the patient wants to
pay, but by "whichever way the doctor requests". Does this mean that I
can request (that is, demand) payment by new-release DVDs, while the
plastic surgeon can request (demand) payment in pink Argyle diamonds of
suitable size and quality?
Oliver Frank, general practitioner
255 North East Road, Hampstead Gardens
South Australia 5086
Ph. 08 8261 1355 Fax 08 8266 5149 M 0407 181 683
_______________________________________________
The Nat-Div rules and recommendations are at:
http://www.gp.org.au/GPDivmailer.html
--
Oliver Frank, general practitioner
255 North East Road, Hampstead Gardens, South Australia 5086
Phone 08 8261 1355 Fax 08 8266 5149 Mobile 0407 181 683
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