Practices must register as universal bulk billers on Healthdirect and order signage within 24 hours of signing up to the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is giving GP clinics which sign up to its Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program just 24 hours to register as universal bulk-billing practices on the National Health Services Directory.
The 24 hours begins as soon as a practice registers for the BBPIP in DoHDA’s organisation register.
Hosted on the national virtual public health information service, Healthdirect, DoHDA does warn that – even though practices must submit a registration or service update form within 24 hours – the new or updated listing may not appear on the NHSD for more than 24 hours.
Practices will not be penalised for a delay in the website updating.
Alternatively, practices can register or update their NHSD details via Provider Connect Australia.
According to a new resource uploaded by the department on Thursday, requiring practices to advertise as fully bulk billing on Healthdirect is to ensure patients “can easily search for bulk-billing practices in their area at a single source”.
Despite the fact that practices participating in the BBPIP will still be allowed to privately bill procedural items, all clinics must register as “bulk billing only” on the NHSD.
Like the Healthdirect registration, practices have just 24 hours from signing onto the BBPIP to order DoHDA-approved signage advertising that they are a “Medicare bulk billing practice”.
There are three signing “packages” to choose from; all include two A3 sized rolled posters and at least one window/wall decal.
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The largest decal is approximately 1m long.
Once received, practices have five business days to display their signage.
“Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage must be clearly visible and prominently displayed, ensuring it can be seen from multiple angles and a reasonable distance,” DoHDA said.
“It should be positioned in a way that minimises glare, reflection or visual distortion.”
At least one sign must be placed near the main entrance, preferably at eye level and visible from 5-10m outside the clinic.
Inside the clinic, there must be at least one sign at or near the reception desk. This one should be either at eye level or on the desk itself, and be visible from about 1-2m away once inside the practice.
If the practice leaves the program, it has five days to remove all physical signage.
Some clinics have recently raised questions about whether patients who are being privately billed for a procedural item at a practice participating in the BBPIP could theoretically complain that the practice is contravening section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.
Under section 133, it is illegal for a regulated health service or a business that provides a regulated health service to advertise in a way that is “false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to be misleading or deceptive”.
There are concerns that the mandated signage and Healthdirect listing advertising the clinic as a bulk-billing practice may qualify as false or misleading, even if the practice is technically following program rules in privately billing for a procedural item.
The Medical Republic has sought clarification from DoHDA.
