Recent updates for Assignment of Benefit changes

At Telstra Health, we’re committed to supporting our Communicare customers with guidance and product enhancements that are designed to help you manage compliance.

From 1 July 2026, updates will be introduced to the way Assignment of Benefit (AoB) operates for Medicare bulk billing. The Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is responsible for the legislation and regulations that guide the operation of AoB.

Additional changes to the regulations have been delivered by the Department in the last few weeks. We are working closely with the Department to ensure that Communicare can support you in meeting your requirements for AoB.

Thank you to those Communicare Administrators and others who attended our AoB webinar on Thursday 25th June 2026. Key summary points from the webinar:

• Existing AoB (DB4) process for bulk billing is changing to introduce the concepts of pre-assignment, post-assignment and enduring AoB, along with ability to use electronic signatures.
• Post-assignment AoB changes are delivered in the Version 23.3 release as they are tied to product changes (existing DB4 form and process in Communicare).
• Pre-assignment AoB workflow will be available via workflow (clinical item and template) delivered in the next Central Update.
  Enduring AoB workflow is pending Regulation updates – expectation is that enduring AoB will be the most appropriate for many Communicare health services.
• 12-month transition period announced by the Department to allow services to adopt AoB practices in a controlled and informed way.

Watch the AoB webinar recording

Missed the webinar or want to revisit the details? The full recording is available below, click the image to watch Yvonne walk through the changes and answer questions from Communicare Administrators.

Please note: the information shared in the webinar was correct as of Thursday 25 June 2026. As the Department continues to release updates, we’ll keep you informed of any changes through our usual channels.

The Department is also fast tracking the introduction of enduring AoB with the release of the required Regulations on Friday 26th June. The Regulations are now available for us to use to update Communicare to support enduring AoB. These are available on the Federal Legislation Register: Health Insurance Amendment (Enduring Agreements) Regulations 2026 – Federal Register of Legislation

The Department is also regularly updating their FAQ page: Assignment of Medicare Benefits for Bulk Billing – Frequently Asked Questions | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

The Department has informed us that templates for enduring AoB will be available very soon. Our plan is to develop the enduring AoB templates to distribute with the next Central Update planned for July 2026

Important Takeaways

• There is a 12-month transition period for moving to new AoB processes – there is no requirement to implement changes exactly on 1 July 2026 – updates can be planned and introduced at a pace that suits your health service.
• Enduring AoB templates are coming soon.
• Central Data Update will come in July to support pre-AoB and enduring AoB (date is dependent on Department release of templates for enduring AoB).

These updates are part of the Australian Government’s plan to modernise Medicare, which is designed to improve transparency for patients, support more robust record keeping, and continue the shift away from paper-based processes toward more streamlined digital workflows.

We appreciate this is a confusing time with many changes coming at the last minute. The Department is working hard to ensure that we have the required legislation and regulations in place to support these changes. Communicare is working directly with the Department to ensure that we support our customers through this transition.

A reminder to please book your V23.3 upgrade if you have not done so already, or if you require support, please submit a ticket to the Telstra Health Support Portal.