Changes to Medicare Bulk Billing Consent

From 1 July 2026, Medicare is introducing changes to the way patients provide consent for bulk-billed services.

While East Ryde Doctors provides administrative and nursing support services to independently practising doctors with a private billing policy, there are still many occasions where doctors choose to bulk bill eligible services.

Examples include:

• Annual Health Assessments for patients aged 75 years and over

• Childhood consultations for children under 10 years of age with Dr Lily Foster and Dr Sanjev Krishnamohan during weekday appointments

• Practice vaccination clinics

• Other services where a doctor elects to bulk bill

As a result, these Medicare changes may still apply to many patients attending East Ryde Doctors from time to time.

Many patients attending East Ryde Doctors may already be familiar with this process. Through platforms such as HotDoc and other digital systems, patient consent has been collected electronically for some time in line with Medicare requirements.

The new legislation largely formalises and standardises the way consent is obtained and recorded across Australia.

What is an Assignment of Benefit?

When a service is bulk billed, the Medicare rebate is paid directly to the doctor who provided the service. By agreeing to be bulk billed, a patient assigns their Medicare benefit to that doctor.

This process has always formed part of Medicare claiming. The new legislation introduces updated requirements regarding how that consent is obtained and recorded.

What changes might patients notice?

In most cases, very little will change.

Patients may simply be asked to provide consent using a different method than they have previously experienced. This may include:

• Signing electronically at the conclusion of an appointment

• Confirming consent via a text message or email link

• Providing consent through an online booking platform

• Signing a consent form within the practice

For face-to-face consultations, patients should expect to provide consent at the completion of their appointment where a bulk-billed service is being claimed.

For telehealth consultations, patients should similarly expect to provide consent electronically, which may be delivered via SMS, email, or another approved digital method.

Occasionally, Medicare may require updated consent

In some circumstances, a Medicare claim may be rejected because the item number originally submitted does not accurately reflect the service provided and requires amendment.

If this occurs, the practice team may need to contact a patient on behalf of their doctor to obtain updated consent for the revised Medicare item number before the claim can be resubmitted.

While these situations are expected to be uncommon, we appreciate patients' assistance should this be required.

What if I do not wish to be bulk billed?

Bulk billing is voluntary.

If a patient chooses not to assign their Medicare benefit, their doctor may elect to issue a private account, with a gap, which would be payable on the day of service. The patient claim will be submitted directly to Medicare and receive any applicable rebate.

Our Commitment

East Ryde Doctors is committed to supporting doctors in maintaining secure, compliant and efficient Medicare claiming processes while keeping administration as simple as possible for patients.

We will continue to monitor updates from Medicare and our software providers to ensure any changes are implemented smoothly and with minimal disruption.

If you have any questions regarding Medicare claiming or bulk billing consent, please speak with our reception team.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and is not intended as medical, legal, or Medicare advice. Information is current at the time of publication but may change. Patients should speak with their treating doctor or the practice team if they have questions relating to their individual circumstances.