Practice Connect #249

Health assessments are a cornerstone of preventive health care, providing a proactive approach to supporting patient wellbeing and preventing disease.

The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) health assessment aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to receive primary health care that is matched to their needs by encouraging early detection, diagnosis and intervention for common and treatable conditions that contribute to illness and early mortality.

The Aboriginal Health Assessment, commonly referred to as the 715 Health Check, is a Medicare-funded assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of all ages. This assessment can be done every nine months. It considers physical, psychological and social wellbeing, supporting early detection, disease prevention and access to follow-up care.

From 1 March 2026, age-based clinical activities have been removed and replaced with broader preventive health activities tailored to the individual’s needs and clinical circumstances throughout life. Please see MBS Online notes for full eligibility and requirements.

To support ongoing care, MBS item number 10987 services can be provided by a practice nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner, on behalf of a medical practitioner, for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person who has received a health assessment.

A health assessment:

• is meaningful and beneficial for the patient
• identifies health needs, including the patient’s goals and priorities
• supports patients to take an active role in their health and wellbeing
• provides a framework for primary and secondary disease prevention through health advice, risk assessment and other appropriate measures
• is ideally provided by the patient’s regular health care provider
• includes a documented plan for follow-up of identified health needs, priorities and goals
• can provide an opportunity to begin culturally sensitive advance care planning, where appropriate

Getting started with Aboriginal health assessment activities

• Create a culturally safe health care environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Increase awareness of available services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Increase participation in cervical, breast and bowel cancer screening among eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Improve the collection and recording of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status
• Use recall and reminder systems to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients

Our team of dedicated Quality Improvement Coaches are happy to assist with tailored QI support and development of activities for your practice. If you would like a QI Coach to support your team, contact us via our email qi@wapha.org.au

From 1 July 2026, updated Assignment of Benefit (AoB) requirements apply to all Medicare bulk billed services.

What is Assignment of Benefit?

When a patient is bulk billed, they agree to assign their Medicare benefit to the provider as full payment for the service.

The provider then claims the benefit directly from Medicare and the patient has no out-of-pocket cost for the bulk billed service.

What is changing?

The updated requirements focus on how consent is obtained, recorded and stored.

Practices should review their current workflows and confirm their software, forms and team processes support the new requirements.

Key updates include:

• Patient agreement is required. Patients must be given enough information to understand what they are agreeing to when assigning their Medicare benefit for a bulk billed service. If a patient does not agree to assign their Medicare benefit, the service cannot be claimed as bulk billed and alternative billing arrangements must be discussed before a claim is submitted
• Pre or post service assignment options: consent can be obtained before or after the service, including through digital workflows
• No mandatory form: practices can use paper or electronic formats, provided the agreement captures the required information
• Updated signature requirements: patients, or an appropriate assignor, must provide consent. Practitioner signatures are no longer required
• New assignment pathways: this includes pre-service assignment and enduring assignment for eligible patients, such as MyMedicare-registered patients of Aboriginal medical services and residential aged care home patients
• Transition arrangements: a 12-month transition period applies from 1 July 2026, including continued support for verbal assignment while systems adapt
• Record keeping: practices must retain AoB agreements for two years from the date the claim is made, including records of verbal consent

Telehealth transition:

Verbal consent remains available during the 12-month transition period from 1 July 2026, including for telehealth services. Practices must still keep a compliant AoB record and should move towards documented consent processes as systems and workflows are updated.

Enduring Assignment of Benefit:

From 1 July 2026, eligible patients may be able to provide ongoing consent for future bulk billed GP services, rather than completing a new assignment each time they attend.

Enduring agreements must:

• Relate to ongoing GP services
• Include patient, or assignor, consent and signature
• Include the required information set out in legislation
• Be able to be ended at any time by either the patient or the practice
• Remain valid until circumstances change, such as the patient leaving the practice or care setting
• Replace the need to capture consent at each visit for services covered by the agreement.

What practices can do now:

• Review current bulk billing and AoB workflows, including telehealth and off-site services
• Confirm practice management software and digital consent processes are ready for the updated requirements
• Ensure reception, nursing and clinical teams understand when and how consent should be captured.
• Check that AoB agreements can be stored and retrieved for at least two years
• Review the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) and Services Australia guidance for the latest templates for episodic and enduring Assignment of Benefit

Resources:

• Assignment of benefit for bulk bill claims – Services Australia
• Assignment of Medicare Benefits for Bulk Billing – Frequently Asked Questions – DHDA
• Improving the assignment of benefit process – DHDA
• Update to Assignment of Medicare Benefit requirements – Bulk billing – Templates for episodic and enduring Assignment of Benefit
• Update to Assignment of Medicare Benefit requirements – Simplified billing
• RACGP Webinar 14 July 2026 – New assignment of benefit (AoB) processes commence for Medicare bulk billed services

For enquiries or further details regarding the Assignment of Benefit (AoB), please reach out to AssignmentofBenefit@health.gov.au

For further support to find information, establish efficient workflows or guidance on patient communication, please contact Practice Assist or your Primary Care Navigator on 08 6278 7900 or via email practiceassist@wapha.org.au

The Medicare Mental Health eReferral provides a secure, electronic way for GP and non-GP referrers to submit referrals directly into the Medicare Mental Health intake system. It reduces reliance on email or fax referrals and supports more complete, consistent referral information.

Why was it created?

• To simplify the referral process for referrers
• To reduce incomplete referrals and follow-up
• To support faster triage and access to services
• To provide a consistent, standardised referral pathway across regions
• To close the referral loop, allowing referrers to receive confirmation and track referral status in real time

How to access?

• GPs can refer using the HealthLink SmartForm within their clinical software
• Online eReferral webforms for non-GP referrers and services that do not use HealthLink are also available, using region specific links below:

• • Country WA – online eReferral webform
  • Perth North – online eReferral webform
  • Perth South – online eReferral webform

Watch a demonstration video that guides you through the referral process in HealthLink. Unsure of your Primary Health Network? Access the PHN locator.

While no referral is needed for a person to access Medicare Mental Health, referrals are welcomed from GPs, primary health care professionals, local hospital and health service providers and non-government organisations.

For support related to the HealthLink SmartForm, contact 1800 125 036 or HelpdeskHL@healthlink.net

Medicare Mental Health Check In provides free, confidential and accessible online mental health support. It is for people aged 16 years and over who live in Australia. No referral or diagnosis is needed.

The online service offers early support, before mental health challenges escalate, through evidence-based low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

People can choose between working through the online tools on their own or with the support of a qualified mental health practitioner:

• Self‑guided support allows people to work through the tools independently, anytime and anywhere, at their own pace
• Guided support allows people to work through the tools with a qualified mental health practitioner via telehealth. Guided support is delivered over several sessions
• Each program takes around 6 weeks to complete

How to access:

• Clients can call the Medicare Mental Health phone service on 1800 595 212 or request a callback, or visit a Medicare Mental Health Centre to be referred. Speaking with Medicare Mental Health will help decide whether an online program is right for the client, and if so, how to access and start the program. If this service isn’t the right fit, they will connect clients to a more suitable service
• GPs and non-GP referrers can submit a Medicare Mental Health ereferral

Find out more about Medicare Mental Health Check In.

Watch the video here:

MyMedicare Minute  One key message. One minute to read.

MyMedicare strengthens continuity of care with a patient’s regular practice, while still allowing patients to attend any practice for care when needed. Participating in MyMedicare does not limit where a patient can go for immediate or unplanned care. For ongoing and planned care – such as chronic condition management plans and reviews – patients should attend the practice they are registered with under MyMedicare, to support continuity and coordinated care. Practices can continue to see any patient for care, regardless of whether they are registered in MyMedicare. What practices need to know Reinforce that while patients can seek urgent or same-day care anywhere, MyMedicare strengthens continuity of care by supporting patients to return to their regular practice for ongoing and planned care. Explain to patients that they need to attend their MyMedicare registered practice for chronic condition management, care plans and reviews. Resources We encourage you to utilise the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing or Services Australia websites for more information.

Clinician Assist WA is a secure website and clinical support tool which provides GPs and health professionals with clear, locally accepted guidance for assessing, managing and referring patients across Western Australia.

Resource pages give users access to high-quality, reputable and locally relevant resources, in one place, saving users time searching for and scrutinising the reliability of information found elsewhere.

The first two resource pages are now available:

• Measles − Resources
• Rhinitis and Rhinosinusitis in Children − Resources

Visit the Clinician Assist WA website to view these new pages and access a wide range of other relevant resources designed to support your clinical practice.

Recent changes to My Health Record legislation may mean your practice needs to review its security and access policy. The My Health Records Rules 2026 came into effect on 1 April 2026, replacing the 2016 Rules.

If your practice registered:

• Before 1 April 2026, you have until 1 October 2026 to update your policy
• Practices registering from 1 April 2026 need to have a compliant policy in place as part of registration

What this means for your practice:

The updated Rules place a stronger focus on how practices manage user access, staff training, security processes and My Health Record data breach requirements. They also ask practices to keep records that show how their policy is being followed.

What to do next:

A helpful first step is to check whether your current policy reflects the 2026 Rules. You may also wish to review how staff access is managed, how training is recorded, and how your practice would respond to any security concerns.

Refer to these supporting resources to ensure your policy is up to date and meets the new requirements:

• Organisation Registration Checklist
• Participation obligations
• The Security and Access Policy requirements
• ADHA recommended training list fact sheet

If you would like support on the changes or to work through your practice processes, contact Practice Assist on 08 6278 7900 or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au