MyMedicare was recently introduced by the Australian Government as a way to help strengthen Medicare and allow eligible patients to receive a more personalised and tailored approach from their regular health care provider.
In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at how MyMedicare works, the benefits it can provide, and how to register Illawarra Medical Centre (IMC) as your regular care team.
What is MyMedicare?
MyMedicare is a voluntary patient registration model that formalises the relationship between a patient and their GP, general practice and primary care teams.
It has been introduced by the Australian Government as a way to strengthen Medicare. It allows for a more personalised, tailored approach to the healthcare of patients from their regular general practice, doctor and primary care team.
Who is eligible to register?
MyMedicare is open to all Australians with a Medicare card or a Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Veteran Card. You must have had two or more face-to-face appointments with your regular registered practice or health care provider over the last 24 months or at least one face-to-face appointment if you are in a remote location.
Those facing hardship, including people experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness, do not need to meet the eligibility requirements to register for MyMedicare.
Children under the age of 14 years must be registered by a parent or guardian. This registration needs to completed at the patient’s chosen practice; however, those aged 14-17 years can register themselves without needing the consent of a parent or guardian.
Registering with MyMedicare is completely free and voluntary and your quality of care will not be impacted if you choose not to register.
What are the benefits?
When you register, your health care provider will be notified that you have chosen them as your regular care team. Your registration will then allow them to access services and additional funding to help provide you with the care you need.
MyMedicare essentially enables you to formalise the relationship you have with your regular GP and general practice and allows for greater continuity of care.
Research indicates that seeing the same health care provider generally leads to better health outcomes for patients, including fewer hospital admissions and lower mortality rates.
It will also allow for longer Medicare funded telehealth consults with your GP, as well as triple bulk billing incentives for longer telehealth consultations for children under 16, pensioners, and concession care holders.
Additional benefits that will be introduced over the coming year include:
- more regular visits from their GP and better care planning for those living in a residential aged care home, from August 2024
- connections to more appropriate care in general practice for people with chronic disease who visit hospital frequently, from mid-2024.
The benefits of MyMedicare are expected to continue to grow over time, as more patients and providers sign up.
How do I register?
You can register for MyMedicare through your online account or through your regular general practice.
When registering, you will be able to choose to register with:
- an accredited general practice;
- an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service;
- an Aboriginal Medical Service;
- a nurse practitioner-led practice with a GP; or
- another non-traditional practice that meets the healthcare provider registration and eligibility criteria.
Before you register with MyMedicare, however, you will need to make sure that your chosen practice is registered.
Once you have registered with your regular practice, you will then be able to select your preferred GP.
It’s important to note that while you will still be able to access other Medicare and DVA equivalent services from other healthcare providers, you will only be able to access the benefits of MyMedicare at your registered regular general practice.
You will, however, be able to change or update both your preferred GP or practice at any time once you are registered.
To find out more information on how to register with MyMedicare, visit Services Australia.
How to register with Illawarra Medical Centre
Illawarra Medical Centre is currently registered as a MyMedicare practice and you can register IMC as your regular care team in MyMedicare via this QR Code.
Your quality of care at Illawarra Medical Centre will not be impacted if you choose not to register with MyMedicare.
For more information, visit https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/mymedicare or contact us on (08) 9208 6400.
For more information on this topic, visit:
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care – https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/mymedicare
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; Ministers; the Hon Mark Butler MP – https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/building-a-stronger-medicare-with-mymedicare-now-open-to-patients?language=en
- Services Australia – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/register-for-mymedicare?context=22751