MyMedicare

MyMedicare: Time to get ready

MyMedicare is Australia’s new voluntary patient registration model. It will enable a blended funding model that sits alongside fee-for-service while strengthening the relationship between patients, their general practice, general practitioner (GP) and primary care teams.

Supported by recommendations from the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, the recent Commonwealth 2023–24 Budget invests $19.7 million over 4 years in MyMedicare. A further $39.8 million will be delivered to support systems delivery through Services Australia.

MyMedicare seeks to improve health outcomes by:

consolidating the GP’s role as the primary provider and leader in continuity of care for patients
strengthening patient relationships with the extended primary care team and increasing multidisciplinary care
improving communication between general practice and other health providers
improving equitable access for priority population groups.

A range of incentives are offered for general practice to participate, including for telehealth consultations with MyMedicare registrants.

How practices can begin preparing for MyMedicare

Draw on practice data to develop an understanding of their practice population
Identify and build capability of a core team to champion the change process and establish the value proposition of MyMedicare for their practice
Develop an understanding of the enablers and barriers, unique to their practice context, that could impact implementation of MyMedicare
Use practice data to identify the capacity of their practice workforce to ensure patient needs can be balanced with clinician supply
Expand GP-led micro teams within practices, better involving nursing and allied health professionals, to maximise practice capacity

Key dates and actions to remember

Eligible general practices can begin the MyMedicare registration process. Please note: if your practice is already registered and all registered health providers are linked in the Organisation Register, you do not need to complete a second registration process.
Patients can register from 1 October 2023 by completing a paper form at their regular general practice or online through their Medicare account.
Registration in MyMedicare is voluntary for patients, general practices and providers. PHNs encourage all eligible practices to register as the system will improve patient outcomes and enable financial incentives for providers.
See the timeline below.

Did you know patients can register for MyMedicare from 1 October 2023?

To support general practices in voluntary patient registration for MyMedicare, Gippsland PHN has put together some fact sheets to help staff answer any patient questions.

Patients who register with their regular general practice in MyMedicare will receive improved continuity of care, easier access to telehealth consultations and will have access to services tailored to their needs.

Patient messaging for reception staff

Patient messaging for GPs, practice nurses and other clinical staff

Myth busting FAQ

Helpful information and resources

In preparation for the start of MyMedicare, information on what practices need to do to get ready for MyMedicare is available at the Department of Health and Aged Care website at health.gov.au/MyMedicare and the Services Australia Health Professional Education website hpe.servicesaustralia.gov.au

Webinar recording

“MyMedicare: First steps: what is it, and what do I need to know?” was a webinar on Monday 28 August 2023, hosted by the NSW/ACT PHN and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. If you missed it, the recording can be found here.

MyMedicare: a deeper dive (including PRODA) webinar on Monday 18 September 2023. The webinar recording is now available on the RACGP Events page here.

Helpful fact sheets

In the lead up to MyMedicare patient registration on 1 October 2023, general practice can start preparing now. One helpful preparation activity is data cleansing and archiving of patients. See these helpful fact sheets produced by Brisbane PHN below:

How to archive your inactive patients in Best Practice.
How to archive your inactive patients in Medical Director.

We will keep you updated and support your practice

Gippsland PHN will continue to keep general practices informed, via newsletters, staff visits (as appropriate), website updates and education programs. The Department of Health and Aged Care is continuing to update its website as well.