Thousands flock to Medicare online claims
Medicare Australia has gone live with a new online claims system that allows customers to submit their bills for refund online.
(Littman image by Katrin Morenz, CC BY-SA 2.0)
The new claims system, which has been live for just over two weeks, has already attracted almost 1950 successful claims, Medicare told ZDNet Australia in a statement today.
Customers can access the online claims system using their Medicare Australia Online Services log-in, a system that already has over 2 million registered users.
Medicare has been testing the system since mid-2010 for implementation in its online services platform, which also includes access to individual health identifier numbers, claim history, personal details and the ability to order new cards.
Medicare has implemented strict payment regulations to protect security including secret questions, a limit on the amount of claims that can be submitted at once and a maximum claiming amount of $250 per day or $550 per 30-day period.
Patients can claim five types of general practitioner consultation charges including:
- Professional attendance — straightforward consultation with limited examination and management
- Consultations lasting less than 20 minutes
- Consultations lasting at least 20 minutes
- Consultations more than five minutes but not more than 25 minutes
- Consultations on public holidays (excluding Sundays and after-hours consultations)
Customers can follow step-by-step instructions online to submit their claims and Medicare has also posted several online learning modules to help those who get stuck. Medicare is also running a phone-based help desk for customers using the new system.