Medicare Easyclaim off the critical list

When the Medicare Easyclaim system was introduced in 2006 it was set a target of handling 60 per cent of payments at doctors' surgeries by June 2008. It got to one per cent.

Minister of Human Services Joe Ludwig said yesterday that the system involved too much duplication and manual keying to be useful

Ludwig said: "Easyclaim has copped a flogging and it's mostly justified. When we came to office take-up had flatlined."

He said he was committed to continue looking for a way to use the Eftpos system to find an efficient Medicare payment system and had set up an electronic claiming taskforce.

The taskforce is looking at how government can support industry moves to integrate Easyclaim with medical practice management software.

It is also designing a community awareness campaign to address poor awareness of electronic claiming.