Bulk Billing Incentives

The Bulk Billing Incentives program is designed to support providers who bulk bill eligible patients by offering additional compensation through Medicare. The amount a practice can claim depends on its location, while eligibility is determined by both patient and provider factors.

This article explains what Bulk Billing Incentives are, how to configure them in MediRecords, how they apply when invoicing, and how to obtain patient approval.

Contents:

1. What are Bulk Billing Incentives?
2. Configuring Bulk Billing Incentives

   • System Configuration

     Provider Configuration

     Patient Configuration

3. Invoicing with Bulk Billing Incentives
4. Obtaining Patient Approval for Bulk Billing Incentives

   • Email Agreement

     Verbal Consent for Telehealth

     Invoice Method

What are Bulk Billing Incentives?

The Bulk Billing Incentives program is managed by Medicare and provides additional payments to providers who bulk bill eligible patients. The amount varies depending on the provider’s location.

• Practice Location
  Medicare uses the Modified Monash Model (MMM) to classify locations as city, rural, remote, or very remote. The MMM categorises locations from MM 1 (major cities) to MM 7 (very remote).
  Only practices located in MM 2 to MM 7 areas are eligible for Bulk Billing Incentives.
  The MMM classification is based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), which can be viewed here.
  You can also visit Medicare’s website for more information on MM locations and applicable item numbers.
• Patient Eligibility
  A patient is eligible for Bulk Billing Incentives if they are under 16 years of age at the time of service or if they hold a Commonwealth concession card.
• Provider Eligibility
  Bulk Billing Incentives apply only to GP items and cannot be claimed for specialist items.

Configuring Bulk Billing Incentives

System Configuration

1. To configure the practice settings, navigate to More > Settings > Configuration Settings.
    
2. Select the practice you want to apply the Bulk Billing Incentives to.
    
3. Within the selected practice, click Claiming–PRODA, scroll to the bottom of the list, tick Enable Default Bulk Billing Incentive Item, select the desired item, and click Save.

Provider Configuration

To configure the provider, ensure the Medicare Provider Type is set to General.

1. Go to More > Settings > Subscription Details.
   
    
2. Click Users.
   
    
3. Tick the box next to the provider. Then click Configure.
    
4. In the Invoices tab, locate Medicare Provider Type, select General, and click Save.

Patient Configuration

1. To confirm patient eligibility, open the Patient Record and go to Details > Demographics to check that the patient’s date of birth shows they are under 16 years old.
    
2. Alternatively, go to Settings > Pension/HCC within the patient record and enter the relevant concession card details.

Invoicing with Bulk Billing Incentives

Bulk Billing Incentives automatically populate for eligible patients when the provider bulk bills using the MBS schedule.
Once you select Medicare as the billing method and apply the MBS schedule, the appropriate Bulk Billing Incentive item will appear automatically.

When your practice is configured for Bulk Billing Incentives, the correct incentive items will populate automatically during invoicing.

Obtaining Patient Approval for Bulk Billing Incentives

Email Agreement

1. Open the Patient Record.
2. Create a letter using the DB4E Forms template in Correspondence Out and set the status to Final. Refer to the article Writing Letters for detailed steps.
   
    
3. Send the form via Email on Demand.

4. Include this note:

   “If you (the patient) agree to the assignment of the Medicare benefit directly to the health professional (bulk bill), reply to this email including the following words:
   Yes, I agree to the assignment of the Medicare benefit directly to the health professional, and [your name].”

5. Upload the patient’s response to the Consent tab.

   ✅ Tip: If Consent is given through Engage

   • If the box is ticked:
     The patient will be asked to sign the form online using Engage. Once they finish, you’ll see their response in MediRecords Care.
   • If the box is not ticked:
     The form will be sent to the patient just for viewing. They won’t be asked to sign it.

   

Verbal Consent for Telehealth

1. Open the Patient Record.
2. Create a DB4E letter and set the status to Final.
3. Obtain verbal consent and document it by typing “patient verbally agreed” in the signature field.

4. Email a copy of the form to the patient for record-keeping through Email on Demand.

   ℹ️ Note: As MediRecords supports outbound email only, advise the patient to forward any responses or completed DB4E forms to a third-party or alternative email address.

Invoice Method

1. Create an invoice and tick Print Medicare Statement before clicking Claim.
2. Download the file and import it into Correspondence Out.
3. Upload the signed form to the Consent tab.