Medicare Web Services is coming – here’s what you need to know

The Australian Government recently announced the roll-out of Medicare Web Services commencing from August 2021. These changes are designed to help practitioners share data with Services Australia in a safer and more secure way.

Medicare Web Services will affect the way you claim through Medicare Online, DVA, the Australian Immunisation Register and ECLIPSE.

How does Medicare Web Services work?

Medicare Web Services will integrate directly with your practice management software for a smoother online claiming process. It will also be more flexible and easier to use across multiple systems. Your practice software will need to be updated to be compatible with the new Medicare Web Services platform – depending on your software provider this may mean action is required from you.

What’s changing?

Current security will be replaced with a new authentication system known as Provider Digital Access (PRODA). This is an online system that verifies each person’s identity and organisation using the Australian Business Register. Some of the advantages to PRODA include:

• It’s more secure than the current system of PKI certificates
• It’s linked to each individual so it won’t expire. If you change employers, your PRODA account will stay the same.
• It’s portable and compatible with a range of different devices and systems.

The new system will be easier to update and enhance, which will pave the way for improved functionality across some of the channels.

What do you need to do now?

The technology that many software providers are using is not compatible with Medicare Web Services so you will need to upgrade your software.

The most important thing for practices to do is ensure their software is compatible with the new platform. As an upgrade may be needed, we recommend that you contact your software provider and check if there is anything you need to do to make sure you’re Medicare Web Services ready.

How will MedicalDirector customers be affected?

At MedicalDirector we’ve already put a plan in place to get our practices ready for the changes. For practices using MedicalDirector Helix, the Medicare Web Services update will occur automatically.

MedicalDirector desktop software users will need to upgrade to Clinical 4.2, Pracsoft 4.2 and Bluechip 4.1 to maintain access to Medicare.

At MedicalDirector, we’re here to support you through industry and technology changes. We’ll keep you updated with the latest developments in Medicare Web Services as they happen. Join us on Tuesday 22 June 2021 at 12:30pm for a free webinar discussing the new Medicare Web Services platform. We will be covering what the new platform is, how it is changing and what these changes mean for you and your practice software.