International Patients and Overseas Healthcare

Patients visiting or living in Australia from overseas may not have a Medicare card, but MediRecords still supports billing and ePrescribing for them. This article covers what is different when treating an international or overseas patient, and how to bill and prescribe when Medicare is not available.

Contents:

1. Medicare Eligibility for Overseas Patients
2. Billing an International Patient
3. ePrescribing Without a Medicare Number
4. Private and International Health Insurance

Medicare Eligibility for Overseas Patients

Medicare eligibility for overseas visitors depends on their visa type and, in some cases, a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and their home country. Eligibility rules can change and vary by individual circumstances, so this should always be confirmed for each patient rather than assumed.

Billing an International Patient

If a patient is not eligible for Medicare, bill them as a private patient in the same way as any other private billing.

For general steps on creating a private invoice, see Private Invoicing: Quick Guide.

ePrescribing Without a Medicare Number

A Medicare number is not required to ePrescribe. An Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) can be used instead. International patients can apply for an IHI even if they are not eligible for Medicare, via Services Australia.

To apply for an IHI, patients can use the Individual Healthcare Identifier application process on the Services Australia website.

Private and International Health Insurance

Some international patients hold overseas or international health insurance, which some Australian health funds offer alongside standard private health cover. Where a patient has a private health fund recorded, this can be billed the same way as any other private health fund invoice.

Further Reading

• Patient Identifiers: Medicare Cards & Online Patient Verification (OPV)
• Private Invoicing: Quick Guide