Changes to the upcoming Medicare Assignment of Benefit rules

Changes to the upcoming Medicare Assignment of Benefit rules

June 19, 2026

On 18 June, after sustained advocacy from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Federal Government softened the Medicare Assignment of Benefit changes due to start on 1 July.

What the announcement changes

  • Verbal consent available for a 12 month period from 1 July.
  • Enduring assignment brought forward for MyMedicare registered patients, aged care residents, and patients attending Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO)
  • Enduring assignment for ACCHO patients can be held across more than one site.
  • Activity begins only once the regulatory changes are complete, and starts with education rather than enforcement.
  • A 12 month transition period has been introduced with a commitment to reduce the administrative load on practices and patients.

The requirement underneath has not gone away

The concessions give practices room to move, yet they sit around the obligation rather than removing it. Consent still has to be captured at the point of claiming, recorded against the claim, and held for two years for whenever a patient or an auditor asks for it. That work happens every day. The only open question is whether the software does it or the front desk does.

This matters because the burden the College fought to reduce is, in practice, an administrative one. When software does not absorb a change, the practice absorbs the labour, and the RACGP 2025 Health of the Nation report found 70% of GPs are already concerned about their administrative workload. A change handled by hand lands straight on top of that.

Cloud-native software removes the burden, not just softens it

The deciding factor is how updates reach the system. Legacy software sits on a server in the practice, so each rule change arrives as a release to wait for, install, and test before it can be relied on. Cloud-native software is updated continuously, so the Medicare Assignment of Benefit changes can be built into the workflow ahead of the deadline and switched on for everyone at once, with no server visit and no version left languishing in a back room.

That is the difference between softening the burden and never carrying it. MediRecords is cloud-native, and the 1 July requirements are already built into the billing workflow, so digital consent is captured at the point of claiming and retained automatically for two years. When the rules shift, there is nothing for the practice to install and nothing to rework.

This is just one deadline, and there will be others. The figure worth weighing is not this month’s licence fee but what every future change will cost in hours, in risk, and in rejected claims. On a legacy system that bill keeps arriving, but on a platform built to update itself, it does not.

How we are supporting MediRecords customers

For practices already on MediRecords, the updated Assignment of Benefit tools will be available in the platform on 1 July, ready to use from day one. With the 12 month transition period in place, customers have time to get comfortable with the new workflow well before compliance begins. 

As more detail of the Medicare Assignment of Benefit changes emerges, we will keep updating the platform to match, so the work of staying compliant stays with us rather than landing on your front desk.

See it for yourself before 1 July.

The clearest way to judge whether a system is ready for the Medicare Assignment of Benefit changes is to watch one that already is.

For an obligation-free MediRecords demo, simply reach out to our friendly team via the form below. 

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Why the Patient Record Needs to Become a Platform

Why the Patient Record Needs to Become a Platform

June 16, 2026

by Matthew Galetto, CEO & Founder

We’ve spent more than a decade building what I believe is the only truly cloud-native GP practice management system in Australia.

So when a customer recently described the PMS, and by implication MediRecords, as the “bread and butter” of the practice, something that’s simply expected, part of the furniture and not particularly high value, I had to sit with that for a while.

The comparison was made in contrast to all the new shiny and exciting AI software emerging across healthcare. How is it that a PMS, so critical to the clinical and operational running of a practice, isn’t seen with the same value as an AI scribe?

Then again, I should know better. Medical Director was once given away for free and later offered at a nominal subscription fee, largely funded by the pharmaceutical industry.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised the customer was probably right. Appointments, billing, clinical notes, prescribing, documents, messaging. These things matter enormously. They’re fundamental to running a healthcare organisation. But in 2026, they’re expected. They’re the floor, not the ceiling.

The organisations creating the most value today are asking a different question. Not where the record lives, but what they can build on top of it.

The world has already moved on

In the United States, the ONC Cures Act mandated secure, standards-based APIs, and CMS followed with interoperability and patient access policies. In the UK, NHS England’s GP Connect lets software such as the NHS App surface structured GP record data and repeat prescribing workflows directly to patients through a national digital front door.

Australia is heading in the same direction, and the policy settings are largely there. AU FHIR Core, My Health Record’s FHIR guidance, and a growing body of interoperability work all point toward the same future. The challenge is that we’ve been moving far more slowly than we should.

I’ve attended enough healthcare conferences recently to know that the conversation here is still more talk than action when it comes to genuine interoperability. AI has, in many ways, completely taken over the discussion. That’s understandable, but I sometimes wonder whether we’ve allowed interoperability to become an opportunity lost. The reality is that we need both. The technology exists today, the standards exist today, and patients should already be benefiting.

The context problem we don't talk about enough

The AI conversation in healthcare often gets stuck on the wrong question. People ask whether AI works. They debate the accuracy of ambient scribes, the efficiency gains of voice assistants, hallucinations, false positives, and whether the technology is ready.

Those are reasonable questions, but I think they miss the deeper issue, which is that AI is only as useful as the context it can access.

Consider a patient we presented at the Digital Health Festival earlier this year. An 80-year-old male with chronic renal failure, congestive heart failure, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and hypercholesterolaemia. He was taking five medications, including furosemide and bisoprolol. His baseline creatinine was 200 and his GFR was 24.

Now imagine his latest pathology result arrives and he photographs it with his phone before asking an AI to explain it. Without context, the outcome is predictable. The numbers look abnormal, the AI flags concern, and the patient becomes worried. But for this patient, that’s actually his normal. Those results reflect a chronic condition that has been stable for years, not a new clinical event.

What this means for MediRecords

This is the lens I’ve increasingly been applying to what we’re building, and the honest truth is I don’t really see MediRecords as a PMS anymore. I see it as a patient system of record that we and others can build on. That distinction matters because one approach stores information while the other helps customers, partners, clinicians, patients, and AI tools do something useful with it.

In practice, that means investing heavily in FHIR resources to support richer interoperability. It means SMART App Launch, so third-party applications can open already knowing the patient, the encounter, and the surrounding clinical context. It means webhooks, so customer systems can react when an appointment is created, a result arrives, or a consultation note is saved, instead of continuously polling for changes. It means analytics platforms like Clarity sitting close to the record and close to governance, rather than being bolted on later as an afterthought. Most importantly, it means creating an environment where innovation can happen safely, securely, and within clinical workflow.

We’ve already seen what this looks like in practice: FHIR-connected ePrescribing at Northern Health, the HepLink hepatitis C program delivering end-to-end digital pathways, telehealth, patient engagement, and AI Scribe. These aren’t proofs of concept. They’re examples of what becomes possible when the patient record is treated as a platform rather than simply a repository.

The question for the industry

The next generation of healthcare platforms won’t win because they store more data. They’ll win because they let customers do more with the data they already have, securely, within workflow, and at scale. The digital front door, ambient AI, connected care pathways, embedded insights. Whether these capabilities are built directly into a platform or delivered by partners matters less than many people think. What matters is having a platform underneath that makes them possible.

The PMS will always matter. It remains the operational backbone of a healthcare organisation. But I don’t think the future belongs to systems that simply store records. I think it belongs to platforms that make those records useful. That’s the direction we’re taking at MediRecords, and I believe it’s what Australian healthcare needs.

Preview the platform for yourself, and discover what's possible.

For an obligation-free MediRecords demo, simply reach out to our friendly team via the form below. 

Assignment of Benefit changes: What it means for practices

Assignment of Benefit changes: What it means for practices

June 9, 2026

Healthcare in Australia is becoming increasingly digital, but many administrative processes have struggled to keep pace. Behind the scenes of every consultation sits a system that relies heavily on trust. Patients expect their information to be handled securely and their Medicare billing to be managed correctly.

From 1 July 2026, this system is being updated. Changes to the Medicare Assignment of Benefits (AoB) process will reshape how bulk billing consent is captured and stored in practices. While framed as a Medicare compliance update, the AoB changes also signal a broader shift toward more transparent, consistent, and digitally enabled healthcare administration in Australia.

For many practices, the Medicare AoB changes 2026 will feel like another layer of administration at first. But beneath that sits a clear path away from paper-based workflows and toward simpler, digital consent processes.

What are the Medicare Assignment of Benefits (AoB) changes?

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) is modernising Medicare billing for bulk billed and simplified billing services through amendments to the Health Insurance Act 1973. At its core, bulk billing still requires patient agreement to assign their Medicare benefit to the provider, with that benefit treated as full payment for the service.

The Assignment of Benefits (AoB) process sets out how this consent is captured. From July 2026, updated Medicare AoB requirements will change how bulk billing consent is documented, stored, and verified.

Key changes from July 2026 include:

  • Verbal consent will no longer be accepted, including for telehealth services.
  • Consent can be given before or after a service, but must be in place before a Medicare claim is submitted.
  • Approved or prescribed forms will no longer be required if all mandatory information is included.
  • Practitioner signatures will no longer be required.
  • Patient or authorised representative consent must be identifiable and electronically verifiable.
  • AoB records must be retained for at least two years and provided to patients on request.

Why Medicare is moving beyond paper consent

For years, consent for bulk billed Medicare services has been managed through paper-based forms and manual administrative processes. While these approaches have been long established, they are increasingly being complemented by more efficient digital workflows.

As healthcare delivery becomes more digitally enabled, paper-based processes can add avoidable steps such as printing, scanning, filing, and physical storage. They may also make it more difficult to consistently access or verify consent records when required.

The Medicare AoB changes aim to bring consent processes in line with modern digital health standards. By improving how consent is recorded and stored, the updates support clearer documentation, stronger governance, and more reliable access to records across the system.

What this means for your practice

For practices, the Medicare AoB changes will require planning, including updates to systems, workflows, and staff training to support consistent and compliant consent capture.

While this creates short-term adjustment, it also presents an opportunity to improve how consent is managed. Embedding consent into clinical systems can reduce duplication, streamline workflows, and create a more consistent Medicare billing process.

Consent is a routine part of every patient interaction, but paper-based systems add multiple manual steps that accumulate over time. Digital workflows help reduce this burden, making records easier to capture, access, and manage for compliance and audit purposes.

Practices will also need to ensure consent remains accessible for all patients, including those less confident with digital tools or who prefer non-digital options.

These implementation challenges have been noted by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), particularly around administrative burden and the need for clear guidance during transition. While some adjustment is expected, the changes support a longer-term shift toward more efficient and consistent processes across general practice.

What patients can expect

From a patient perspective, the Medicare AoB changes are primarily centred on improved transparency, clarity, and accessibility of consent.

Digital and standardised consent processes are intended to provide clearer records of what patients have agreed to, and when consent was given. This reduces reliance on paper-based forms and improves the ease with which information can be accessed when needed.

In practice, patients are likely to experience a more consistent and streamlined consent process across providers, particularly as digital systems become more integrated into everyday care delivery.

At the same time, maintaining flexible and accessible non-digital pathways will remain an important part of ensuring the system remains inclusive and patient-centred.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Assignment of Benefit (AoB)?

An Assignment of Benefit (AoB) is the process where a patient agrees to assign their Medicare benefit directly to a healthcare provider, allowing the provider to receive the Medicare rebate as full payment for a bulk billed service. This agreement confirms the patient’s consent for the provider to bill Medicare on their behalf instead of the patient paying upfront and claiming a rebate themselves.

From 1 July 2026, the Medicare Assignment of Benefit (AoB) changes update how patient consent for bulk billed services is captured and recorded. Verbal consent will no longer be accepted, and consent must be clearly documented before a Medicare claim is submitted. Practitioner signatures will no longer be required, approved forms are no longer mandatory if required information is included, and records must be retained for at least two years with copies provided to patients on request.

The updated Medicare Assignment of Benefits requirements take effect from 1 July 2026.

The changes do not alter the bulk billing process itself. Instead, they focus on how patient consent for bulk billed services is obtained, recorded, and stored, with greater emphasis on clear written or electronic documentation.

The changes are designed to modernise consent management, reduce reliance on paper-based processes, improve record keeping, and align Medicare administration with contemporary digital healthcare practices.

Practices should review their current consent processes, assess whether their clinical and practice management systems support compliant consent capture, update workflows where needed, and ensure staff understand the new requirements before 1 July 2026. 

We have built the updated AoB requirements directly into our customer’s existing invoicing workflow, so the process will feel familiar. To learn more, visit our Knowledge Base article, here. 

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