What is MyMedicare?
MyMedicare is a voluntary patient registration system that aims to formalise the relationship between patients, their general practice, general practitioner (GP) and primary care teams.
Seeing your GP regularly and formalising the relationship you have with your GP and general practice through MyMedicare can lead to better health outcomes.
By registering as a patient of your chosen general practice and selecting a preferred GP, additional funding will be available from the government to assist your primary care team to deliver the care you need.
It is voluntary and free to register in MyMedicare, and registration is open to Australians with a Medicare card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Veteran Card. To find out if you’re eligible for MyMedicare read the Registering in MyMedicare factsheet.
MyMedicare is a registration system and won’t hold any of your clinical health information. Your clinical health information will continue to be stored in your My Health Record, if you have one. All personal information recorded in MyMedicare, including your chosen healthcare providers, will be kept secure and your privacy will be maintained. Read the MyMedicare Privacy Notice at health.gov.au/mymedicare-privacy for further information.
Benefits of registering for MyMedicare
Many general practices across Australia have registered in MyMedicare to support them in offering tailored care and services to fit the needs of their regular patients.
By registering in MyMedicare, you may benefit from:
- A formalised relationship with your general practice or GP, which has shown to improve health outcomes.
- Longer Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) funded telehealth consultations with your GP.
- Incentive for longer telehealth consultations for children under 16 and Commonwealth Card Concession card holders, from 1 November 2023.
- More regular visits from your GP and better care planning for people living in a residential aged care home, from August 2024.
- Connections to more appropriate care in general practice for people who visit hospital frequently, from mid-2024.
Longer funded telehealth consultations may be particularly beneficial for people seeking assistance with their mental health, people with disability, older Australians and people in rural or remote Australia.
Further registration benefits for patients will continue to be added as part of the Australian Government’s commitment to strengthening Medicare. If you choose not to register in MyMedicare, you’ll still be able to access the same quality of care from your healthcare providers.
Talk to your regular general practice or GP about registering in MyMedicare, or find out more at health.gov.au/mymedicare