From 1 July 2026, before a bulk bill claim can be submitted, practices are required to obtain a valid Assignment of Benefit (AoB) from the patient in writing --either via a physical signature or electronically. Verbal consent is no longer accepted.

If you're not bulk billing, no action is required.

Here's what this means for your practice and the options available to you.

When a patient is bulk billed, they are agreeing to assign their Medicare benefit directly to the practice instead of receiving it themselves. Previously, this could be done verbally - including for telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic - however concerns were raised about the legal risks of verbal-only consent.

From 1 July 2026, a written signature is required, either physical or electronic. Paper forms remain a valid option; the key change is simply that verbal agreement alone is no longer sufficient.

For more details on the background and reasoning behind these changes, you can refer to the official government guidance:

It depends on whether and how you currently process bulk bill claims.

If you're not bulk billing, no action is required.

If you are bulk billing, some methods are already compliant, while others will require action. Read the options below to understand where your practice stands.

Rather than bulk billing, you can charge the patient the Medicare rebate amount at the time of their appointment and submit a patient claim on their behalf. The patient pays the rebate amount upfront, and Medicare will then reimburse the full amount directly into their bank account -- generally within 24 hours. This avoids the AoB requirement entirely and is a straightforward option for practices wanting to sidestep the new consent process.

This option can be processed via Tyro Health Online or through the Tyro Health EFTPOS integration. See the relevant PracSuite help guides for step-by-step instructions:

If you process bulk bill claims through a Tyro Health EFTPOS terminal, no changes are required. The patient confirms their Assignment of Benefit directly on the terminal as part of the existing Medicare Easyclaim process, which is already recognised as compliant with the new AoB requirements. No separate paper or electronic form needs to be completed.

For further information, see the links below:

If you use a HICAPS terminal, the patient confirms their Assignment of Benefit directly on the terminal, which is also considered compliant with the new requirements. No separate form is needed.

As HICAPS terminals do not currently integrate with browser-based software like PracSuite, this process needs to be handled manually on the terminal rather than through the software.

If you submit bulk bill claims through Tyro Health Online, this process will now require the patient to sign a form confirming their Assignment of Benefit. This step will need to be completed prior to claiming.

Processing a Medicare claim via the Tyro Health EFTPOS integration

A new AoB must be obtained for every bulk bill claim attempt. If a bulk bill claim is declined for any reason and needs to be resubmitted, the patient will need to complete a fresh AoB form before the new claim can be lodged. A previously signed form does not carry over to a resubmission.