Question

I received an SMS, email or push notification asking me to give consent for bulk billing for my appointment. What does this mean, and what do I need to do?

Solution

Some clinics use HotDoc to collect your written consent to bulk bill your appointment to Medicare. Providing consent is a quick and easy process.

Instead of signing a paper form at the clinic, you can review your visit details online and agree to your Medicare benefit being paid directly to your healthcare professional. You may receive this request before or after your appointment. This helps your clinic meet Medicare's consent and record-keeping requirements and makes things faster for you.

Click on the links below for more information:

• What is bulk billing consent?
• Why did I receive this message?
• How do I know the message is really from HotDoc?
• Providing consent before your appointment (pre-assignment)
• Providing consent after your appointment (post-assignment)
• Can I decline or get help?

What is bulk billing consent?

Bulk billing is when your clinic bills Medicare directly for part or all of your appointment fee.

To do this, your clinic needs your written consent. HotDoc provides a secure digital version of the usual Medicare bulk billing form so you can give that consent online instead of on paper.

Why did I receive this message?

You may receive a bulk billing consent request if:

• You have an upcoming appointment at a clinic that uses HotDoc, and the clinic has sent a consent request in advance
• You recently had an appointment (in person or telehealth) at a clinic that uses HotDoc
• The clinic is bulk billing your visit to Medicare
• The clinic uses HotDoc to capture your consent

Before your appointment: Some clinics choose to send consent requests before your visit. If you receive one, you can complete it at any time before your appointment.

After your appointment: If you didn't receive a request beforehand, or if your consent wasn't recorded before your appointment, your clinic may send a request after your visit.

You might receive this as an SMS, email, or a notification in the HotDoc app. These are sent to the mobile number or email address your clinic has on file.

You may also receive a follow-up notification if your consent has not been recorded.
You may also receive a second notification the next day if your consent has not been recorded.

How do I know the message is really from HotDoc?

Check:

• The website link (URL):

  Links from HotDoc will include one of these: htd.io, hotdoc.com or hotdoc.com.au

• The email address:

  Emails are sent from your clinic’s name, using noreply@hotdoc.com.au

If the website link or email address looks different or suspicious, do not click it. Instead, contact your clinic using their usual phone number to confirm.
 

Providing consent before your appointment (pre-assignment)

1. Confirm your details. 
   When you tap the link, you’ll be taken to a secure HotDoc page. For security purposes, you will be asked to enter your last name and date of birth, before clicking Verify.
   
   
    

2. Review the details of your consent request. Check your details and the description of the service your clinic expects to provide.
   
    

3. Next to "Is the assignor the patient?", select the answer that applies to you.

   If this consent is for yourself, select Yes. If you are providing consent on behalf of someone else, select No, and type your name.
   
   
    

4. Choose to consent or decline 
   Select "I agree to bulk bill this service" to give consent for the clinic to bulk bill your visit to Medicare, or "Decline to give consent at this time" if you don't wish to provide consent.
   
   
    

5. After selecting "I agree to bulk bill this service", you will see a confirmation screen. Your consent has been stored and sent to the clinic.
   
   

Providing consent after your appointment (post-assignment)

1. Confirm your details. 
   When you tap the link, you’ll be taken to a secure HotDoc page. For security purposes, you will be asked to enter your last name and date of birth, before clicking Verify.
   
   
    

2. Review the details of your visit.
   Check that the information shown matches your appointment – including the doctor's name, the date of your visit, and the Medicare item number for the service you received.
    

   
    

3. Next to "Is the assignor the patient?", select the answer that applies to you.

   If this consent is for yourself, select Yes. If you are providing consent on behalf of someone else, select No, and type your name.

4. Choose to consent or decline 
   Select "I agree" to give consent for the clinic to bulk bill your visit to Medicare, or "I don't want to be bulk billed" if you don't wish to provide consent.
   
   

    

5. After selecting "I agree to bulk bill these item(s)", you will see a confirmation screen. Your consent has been stored and sent to the clinic.
   
   

Can I decline or get help?

Yes. If you don’t want to complete consent online, you can decline the request. Your clinic may then contact you to discuss other payment or consent options.

If you:

• Can’t open the link

• Notice any incorrect information

• Aren’t sure if the message is genuine

Please contact your clinic directly. They can confirm the request, answer questions about your billing, and let you know what to do next.