Welcome to the Podiatry Arena forums

You are currently viewing our podiatry forum as a guest which gives you limited access to view all podiatry discussions and access our other features. By joining our free global community of Podiatrists and other interested foot health care professionals you will have access to post podiatry topics (answer and ask questions), communicate privately with other members, upload content, view attachments, receive a weekly email update of new discussions, access other special features. Registered users do not get displayed the advertisements in posted messages. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our global Podiatry community today!

  1. Have you considered the Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camp Online, for taking it to the next level? See here for more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
Have you considered the Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camp Online, for taking it to the next level? See here for more.
Dismiss Notice
Have you liked us on Facebook to get our updates? Please do. Click here for our Facebook page.
Dismiss Notice
Do you get the weekly newsletter that Podiatry Arena sends out to update everybody? If not, click here to organise this.

DVA Online Payments

Discussion in 'Australia' started by trevor, Jul 19, 2009.

  1. trevor

    trevor Active Member


    Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
    DVA Payment Cycle

    Just an update for those of you in Australia that manage the business cash flow.

    The Department of Veterans Affairs payment cycle for voucher base payments has doubled from 2.5 weeks to 5 weeks in 2009.
    However if you change to "DVA online" you receive the payment into your bank account in about two days.
    So if you have a large DVA client base it may be worth your time to look into changing your method of claiming:D:eek:
     
  2. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Re: DVA Payment Cycle

    DVA Online? FIrst I have heard about it!
     
  3. PODKMM

    PODKMM Active Member

    Re: DVA Payment Cycle

    Can you please elaborate on how to go about this? I have looked on the website and from what I read, Allied Health are not able to use online claiming.
    ????????
    Would love to go down that path if it is possible!
     
  4. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    DVA Payment Cycle

    A gremlin has got into the system and we have lost a few threads. I was able to retrieve the first three posts of this thread. Sorry to the others who went AWOL.

    trevor wrote:
    paul bowles replied:
    PODKMM replied:
     
  5. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Sorry folks the original forum has vanished and or been lost.

    For those who wanted details the story is as follows

    I posted information that the DVA voucher payment cycle had gone from 2.5 weeks to five weeks.
    I also mentioned that DVA online had recently started for podiatry and that the payment cycle was two or three days.
    In order for you to use the DVA online payment system you need DVA approved practice management software.
    We are using Front desk from smartsoft in Adelaide. It works well and they have one of the best customer support desks in OZ.

    Also I believe the Senate estimates committee is looking into the why voucher payments now take 5 weeks.
     
  6. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    Trevor - we still working on the restore of the missing 5 threads
     
  7. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Re: DVA Payment Cycle

    I Forgot to mention that if you bulk bill Medicare EPC claims you can do it with this system also. We don't bulk bill so it was not an issue for us.

    If you want to set the system up best to call your software provider or Smartsoft in Adelaide.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2009
  8. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    The original missing thread have been restored and merged. Sorry about the messing around and somewhat disjointed nature of this thread.
     
  9. trevpod

    trevpod Member

    Would love to do the DVA online too but we don't have a PMS system. We do Medicare claims online via our HICAPS terminal. Any chance of DVA being included in that system?
     
  10. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    ...and what a right royal pain in the rear end it is....HICAPS should be ashamed of themselves, 21 steps to process a payment....
     
  11. cookster

    cookster Member

    3 options for Claiming ...paper, medicare Ezyclaim ( through eftpos terminal dva claim not available ) and Medicare online integrated with PMS which allows all levels of medicare billing including DVA . In the process of setting up the latter based on cashflow
     
  12. JosephFrenkel

    JosephFrenkel Member

    trevpod,

    I spoke to someone from DVA re HICAPS payments and she said it's a possibility due to Medicare having successfully been linked with a HICAPS terminal. But she said not in the near future as DVA had spend " a lot of money on electronic claiming".

    Paul,
    Even though it's 21 steps to be paid, it's sure quicker than waiting 2-4 weeks for a cheque from Medicare!
     
  13. DSP

    DSP Active Member

    I was previously using an eftpos terminal through the commonwealth bank to process medicare claims. They were the only bank at the time which offered merchant facilities capable of doing medicare easyclaim. Since updating my HICAPS terminal, I now process all medicare rebates using HICAPS and I have to say it's a lot easier than what it was claiming through the Commonwealth Banks eftpos terminal.
     
  14. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Get the patient to for the consult and then get them to go and claim...much easier than waiting or doing 21 steps!
     
  15. markleigh

    markleigh Active Member

    Can I clarify - as a Podiatrist can you or can't you claim DVA electronically?
     
  16. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    YES as a podiatrist You can claim both DVA and Medicare EPC claims electronically using your Practice management software and the internet.

    You do not have to swipe the patients card using this system, you just follow the prompts from your invoice screen. There is also a verify button on the screen, so you can check with Medicare that the patients details are valid before you bill.

    The best part is that payments usually go into your bank account within two or three days. However I suspect that this will vary with different banks.

    It may be that not all practice management software is compatible with the Medicare system, you will have to check with your supplier. We use Smartsoft's Frontdesk and it appears to work well.
    Call your supplier or if they cannot help call Smartsoft and see if they can help you.
     
  17. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Trevor with FrontDesk does the rebate go back to the patients cheque/savings account or to the practice like any HICAPS rebate?

    We claim through HICAPS for EPC's and it goes back to the patient who then pays our bill - pathetic I know but hey its the Govt!
     
  18. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Paul, I understand that you can select either of your options with frontdesk.
    If you chose to take the EPC BULK BILL fee of $48.95 it comes to the practice direct.
    If you chose a >fee the cheque goes to the patient.

    We have chosen not to do either. The patient pays us at the time of the consult. However we are in a process of review and may change to Bulk Bill at the discression of the practioner, the same as most GPs.

    We have only been running Medicare/DVA online for three or four weeks
     
  19. Nat Smith

    Nat Smith Active Member

    Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem with bulk billing is that we are not actually allowed to charge the patient any gap payment if your regular fee schedule is higher than the $48.95. For example, if your regular consult costs $60...you either make them pay the $60 up front and the patient gets their $48.95 rebate, or you bulk bill Medicare, getting only $48.95, with no out of pocket costs to the patient. Can be very difficult when your patients don't want to pay anything up front.
     
  20. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Nat, There are two payment options with Medicare online. The bulk bill one where you claim and receive $48.95 direct from medicare.
    The other one is where you claim your fee and medicare sends your cheque to the patient for $48.95 The patient brings you the cheque with the gap payment.

    We only use the system for DVA patients and do not use the Medicare options.
    So you will need to check with your software provider to confirm the gap payment details are correct.
     
  21. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Hi Trevor,

    We are using HICAPS to claim medicare rebates back for the patient directly (at least thats the way HICAPS have educated us to do so) and we get back $53 dollars for the patient. This is deposited directly into their bank account (cheque or savings) and then they pay us.

    This is how HICAPS have instructed our staff to do it with their system....personally I think its a huge waste of time!
     
  22. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Paul, Where does the $53.00 come from? Why $53.00 can you select another $value.
    I thought only 80% of the medicare scheduled fee of $57.55 was paid.
     
  23. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Your guess is as good as mine...It doesn't as us for anything but the Podiatry Item No. Then it automatically rebates $53.00

    I'm still confused and obviously the government is as well!
     
  24. dyfoot

    dyfoot Active Member

    Hi Paul,

    We are using HICAPS for medicare claims too and we are doing it either of two ways: 1) Bulk bill where the patient assigns their benefit to us, or 2) part pay where the patient still assigns their benefit to us and pays the gap (we use this otpion for those without a Centrelink concession card).

    It's been working fine for us, but it seems as though everyone is doing it differently. It'll certainly be good when DVA come on board!

    Cheers,

    Brad Randazzo
     
  25. dyfoot

    dyfoot Active Member

    P.S. Medicare only pay us the benefit of $48.95
     
  26. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    We do it according to the guidelines given to us from HICAPS using the brand new HICAPS/Medicare machine. 21 steps - rebate was $53....

    How can the patient assign their benefit to the practice? Where is the option for this? Is it an ption when going through the 21 steps?

    I wonder if diffeent machines give different options?

    I think I might get our admin staff to call HICAPS and sort this out!
     
  27. trevor

    trevor Active Member

    Paul,
    Is the $53.00 your bulkbill rebate?
    We get our new HICAPS terminal on Thursday.
     
  28. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    No idea - thats doing it the way HICAPS says in their manual that comes with the new terminal - but it goes back to the patient, then the patient pays for the consult. I'm so confused! Hahahaha
     
  29. dyfoot

    dyfoot Active Member

    Hi Paul,

    Real Aussie men don't read manuals!!!

    We just do it the way the man installing the new terminal showed us- when it comes back with the benifit amount of $48.95, it asks if we want it assigned to the provider, which is yes, then it's in the bank 2 days later like HICAPS.

    Still a P in the A, but the patients love it!

    Cheers,

    Brad Randazzo
     
  30. ALC

    ALC Active Member

    Hi all have also set up and been using Medicare online and DVA online billing and payments cash flow alot better, bit fiddly in the setup and increased expense to do so. Have had good support from Medicare with relationship and service from the Medicare Business development officer.
    However I am amazed that there are people out there that are hearing about this for the first time. This is a little concerning from an information dissemination point of view or I guess alternatively there are those that have not read up on it yet either way we need to be more proactive about these things and lobby the appropriate people to ensure we as Pods are treated like every other health professional using Medicare. APodA has good info in current edition of Newsletter.
     
  31. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    Just checked with our admin staff Trevor and Brad,

    We have only had one patient rebate the 53.00 the rest were as you said...no idea why the one patient has been different?
     
  32. dyfoot

    dyfoot Active Member

    Hi Paul,

    I'm still not sure how and why the rebate goes to your patients, and not you. Maybe you chose that option when signing up for Medicare rebates through HICAPS whereas we chose to be bulk billers (but we only bulk bill those on a concession and charge the rest a 'gap').

    Seems that you are just processing your patients' claims for them with no benefit to you! We used to give them a claim form and send it off for them if they had difficulty, but now all we need is their Medicare number and the money goes directly to us!

    Cheers,

    Brad Randazzo
     
  33. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    I don't know either but thanks to you guys I have my admin staff looking into it - cheers Brad and Trevor!
     
  34. markleigh

    markleigh Active Member

    Why can you only claim DVA payments via practice management software? We claim Medicare via the HICAPS terminal which has been very useful.
     
  35. ALC

    ALC Active Member

    Hi Mark,

    DVA is not setup for eftpos machine /Hicaps machine. You either use old voucher system or Medicare /DVA online via software system. Very good for improving cashflow, only a couple of day wait i have have found, no need for patient to rumage around for their gold card or to sign for each item code (no card no signature) all via software.
     
  36. ja99

    ja99 Active Member

  37. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    ja99 PAGE NOT FOUND ERROR.
     
  38. ja99

    ja99 Active Member

  39. MarkC78

    MarkC78 Active Member

    `

    Maybe this is to do with the Medicare safety net, if they had reached their threshold they may have received an 80% rebate. :confused:
     
  40. Paul Bowles

    Paul Bowles Well-Known Member

    We are checking with Medicare now - it has been an isolated incident though.....
     
Loading...

Share This Page