Elizabeth Dodd wrote:
On Thursday 15 March 2007 19:56, Oliver Frank wrote:
(Is there
anybody's practice on this list that is not on the 90 day unpresented
cheque scheme, and if not, why not?)
we are, but have never had a 90 day cheque presented yet.
debt collection happens before 90 days, so they happily hand over any cheques
There is also the strategy that somebody proposed a while ago of saving
your practice all those tedious trips to the bank and the associated
paper work, by simply never bothering to deposit into the bank any
Medicare rebate cheques that patients bring in, and just waiting for the
Medicare benefits to be deposited automatically in 120 days' time (we
have found that this is how long it really takes, not 90 days).
This makes the whole process even more wasteful, in that not only are
the cheques posted to patients rather than doctors, but the cheques are
not even used ... but who cares ?! (gaily tearing up the community's
banknotes and throwing them into the air like confetti) - it's only
government money. I mean, it's not as if it's *real* money, that might
have been used for anything useful. At least we employed some postmen
and postwomen, cheque printers, envelope manufacturers, petrol
companies, postal van manufacturers, and many other deserving honest
citizens in the process of generating cheques, delivering them and then
disposing of them unused.
I don't know whether any practices have put the 'dump all Medicare
benefits cheques and sit back and wait' approach. Would be interesting
to know.
--
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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