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Billing options-HICAPS/TYRO etc GP rooms

Discussion in 'Practice Management' started by Holapod, May 12, 2017.

  1. Holapod

    Holapod Member


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    Hi All, I have been a podiatrist for about 15 years but I'm looking at setting up privately for the first time. My location is a medical centre. I have a basic understanding of technology. Im wanting to provide Health Fund/EFTPOS/Medicare claims on the spot but as I'm visiting the local centre I will not have my own dedicated podiatry room. This is not a full time practice and I'm hoping to visit a few seperate sites just a day or two a month

    What are my options? I have looked into a wireless terminal but medibank and bupa are not on board. May be a stupid question but how does the wireless terminal actually work? does is have a sim card/work through a hotspot etc

    One of my main concerns is not being too much of a pain in the but in terms of engaging telephone lines, unplugging internet cables etc

    any help would be appreciated.

    thanks
     
  2. Mark_M

    Mark_M Active Member

    Hi Holapod,
    I don't have any experience in mobile eftpos machines.
    I would speak to the practice manager and ask to use their machine. They can add your provider and bank details into the machine. At one point i was in a centre with 4 physio, 1 pod, 1 dietitian, 1 acupuncture, 1 psychologist all on the one Hicaps machine.
    Not sure where you are in the world but Hicaps in Australia charges $25/month for a hard wired machine.
    Hope that helps
    Mark
     
  3. Holapod

    Holapod Member

    Hi Mark thanks for taking the time to reply ill definitely have a chat with them I'm just concerned as I would be the only and first allied health practitioner so I'm pretty positive they would not have hiccups

    thanks again ill have a chat to them
     
  4. smellyfeet

    smellyfeet Member

    hi holapod,
    needed to buy some podiatry equiptment and stumbled across your question.
    currently I have HICAPS portable terminal in place. not very efficient as a mobile terminal in my opinion, still requires alot of work for it to fully work well.

    -I have mine plugged in and shared with the fax machine at the medical centre. You will still require a base for a mobile device to allow it to charge and still do majority of the private health fund claims.

    - you can wirelessly claim EFTPOS, credit card and EPC payments NO PROBLEM as long as you are not out in the country side with minimal wifi connection.I believe there is some sort of sim chip inside to allow internet connection.

    -Private health insurance claims on the other hand are a pain in the foot to claim on a mobile device. certain health funds are supported and certain ones are not. There is a longer list of nots. A major fund like Medibank will not be able to be used by a mobile device unless it is docking on the base. When I do home visits and patients are on a health fund, I make sure to let them know to pay upfront and they can claim back using a receipt.

    -I've had my machine for 1 year and i still occasionally get hiccups with it. lots of error messages which means I got to reboot the damn thing and it takes forever, receipts sometimes end up a metre long for whatever reason.

    hope this helps!

    goodluck!
    mel.
     
  5. Holapod

    Holapod Member


    thanks mel very helpful, I think ill try and meet with them and go the non-mobile option if at all possible thanks again. Just so I'm clear if the mobile machine is on the base which you share with the fax machine you can process through medibank/bupa? But if its not on the base you cannot?

    Also do you plug something in to the telephone connection that allows it to run the fax and your machine at the same time or do you unplug the fax?

    sorry for all the questions
     
  6. smellyfeet

    smellyfeet Member

    Hi Holapod,
    There is a splitter that you add to the line which allows for fax and Hicaps to work at the same time. although when the fax is sending or receiving I cant do anything. I think when HICAPS comes and installs they will be able to discuss this or provide something for you.

    Yes, so if you are with a patient in your room and she wants to claim under bupa or medibank you have to sit the mobile device back onto the base to allow the claim to be processed through. Which really, defeats the purpose of it being mobile.

    But if you want to move the device from clinic to clinic mobile might be a cheaper option. just have 1 base set up at each clinic and click it in when you arrive.
     
  7. Mark_M

    Mark_M Active Member

    The Hicaps machine does not perform well when plugged in to a copper phone line or shared with fax. The machine looses connection and needs to rebooted. Sometimes transaction need to be entered 3 times before going through.
    It really needs an ethernet connection.
     
  8. TPCMAN

    TPCMAN Member

    Is it common for different medical clinics (eg. servicing 3 different clinics) to have the terminal docked at each clinic and just have your provider and bank details into the machine. What considerations do you need to take if using this method? especially when going about your paperwork and crunching numbers?
     
  9. Mark_M

    Mark_M Active Member

    Hi Tpcman,
    I would consider 3 machines for 3 clinics to be the norm. You need a different provider number for each clinic but the bank details can be the same. From the number crunching point of view usually depends on practice management software. Some software is integrated with the Hicaps machine, which makes the paper work easy. If its not integrated you will need to settle the machine at end of day and manually balance/check transactions.
     
  10. Mediclinic Software

    Mediclinic Software Active Member


    Hi maybe we can assist you? We have TYRO and CLOUD software with everything you could ever need
    TYRO the innovative company that has INTERNET contected terminals so you do not need a telephone line (and you can also have a MOBILE terminal) has offered all customers of MEDICLINIC SOFTWARE a free trial for 6 months. In addition Mediclinic Software will provide 6 months free use on our software which is SECURE, CLOUD based, Medicare and DVA online Claiming and has everything you could ever ask for.

    In fact if we do not have it, we make it for you free within reason.

    Togteher with TYRO we will give any new customers 6 months free trial. Please contact us by email at info@mediclinic.com.au or call on 1300790 981 or local on 03 9947 1981. We will connect you to greta software solutions for your practice. Offer on Mediclinic and Tyro expires 30 Sept 2017 and is available on Mediclinic Standard and Medicare and DVA online claiming only.
     
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