MyMedicare - what does it mean for you?
Did you know that having a relationship with a regular GP, clinic or primary care team can lead to better overall health outcomes, as well as improving access and patient experience?
Relationship-based, whole person care is the basis of quality general practice. Quality rarely comes cheap, and inadequate funding of general practice in Australia over the last 20 years has resulted in increased out of pocket costs to patients.
What is MyMedicare?
In 2023, the My Medicare program was launched by the federal government with the aim of strengthening and formalising the relationship between patients, their chosen GP and general practice or primary care team.
It is voluntary and free to register for MyMedicare, and registration is open to Australians with a Medicare card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Veteran Card.
By registering as a patient of your chosen general practice and selecting a preferred GP, additional funding may become available from the government to assist your primary care team to deliver the care you need.
How will this program benefit patients and practices?
As part of your My Medicare registration, you chosen clinic and GP will appear on your My Health Record. This means that other health professionals you see, including at public hospitals, will know who to talk to about your regular care.
It remains to be seen exactly how additional funding will benefit our patients and practice. At present one benefit includes Medicare rebates for longer telephone consultations for patients with their chosen practice.
It is likely that funding will become available for registered patients for specific services. Practices may start to receive some additional funding to look after patients with complex healthcare needs, enabling wraparound care with less out of pocket costs to the patients.
How do I register?
Many members of our Neighbourhood Medical have already decided to enrol with MyMedicare.
You can register online via the Medicare tile of your MyGov account or via the Express Plus Medicare mobile app.
In order to be eligible for registration with a clinic, you must have had two face to face visits in the past 24 months. People facing hardship such as homelessness and domestic violence are exempt from this condition. Patients can only register with one practice at a time, and the practice and GP must accept the registration in order to activate it.
Further information on My Medicare:
We know that the Australian public values choice when accessing healthcare. My Medicare does not aim to remove choice as you can still attend different clinics when needed, but it does aim to encourage patients to attend the same clinic regularly.
Resources from the government (videos and information leaflets) can be found online here or ask your GP or any of the practice team about it when you are next in the clinic.
