Digital health and aged care channels upgrade to web services 133-21042119

Health professionals must now use web services software to securely transmit claims and information to Services Australia:

• Adaptors and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) are no longer supported by Services Australia as the technology is not secure. As at 1 May 2023 access to Adaptors is being removed. (Except for complex organisations who have extended timeframes up until 30 June 2023)
• The following short-term extensions are available for software developers and healthcare locations to complete their transition to web services: (for internal information only)
• until 30 April 2023, for the Victoria Heath Royal Women’s Hospital
• until 8 May 2023, for Medical Director to complete the progressive transition of its remaining healthcare locations
• until 24 May 2023, for the Queensland Health pathology web services product
• until 30 June 2023, for Victoria Health Barwon Health service; discussions are continuing between our senior executive regarding this date and Barwon Health
• Web services and Provider Digital Access (PRODA) Organisation accounts
  Health professionals:
• who use software to submit claim and data to the agency will need web service compatible software (patient administration system or practice management software), and PRODA (if required)
• who have not had their software upgraded may need to use other channels to submit claims and data
• are not impacted by this upgrade if they do not use software and use other channels to submit claims and data to the agency

For more details, see the Resources page for a link to 'Web Services for digital health and aged care channels' on the Services Australia website.

See also How health professionals will be affected.

The following channels use web services:

• Medicare Online, including Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
• Electronic Claim Lodgement and Information Processing Service Environment (ECLIPSE)
• Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Online
• Aged Care Online

Cut-off dates for each channel depends on the impact to the delivery of health care.

From 30 April 2023 (or earlier if asked by their developer), a health professional's software will need to use web services and PRODA to submit claims and data through Medicare Online.

If they currently use adaptor technology and a SHA-1 PKI site certificate to access our channels, such as Medicare Online, DVA, AIR, ECLIPSE, PBS Online and Aged Care Online, they need to upgrade their software to web services compatible software.

See also How health professionals will be affected.

Services Australia has given health professionals information about the move to web services and PRODA and the cut off dates.

Only health professionals that have not upgraded their software to web services and PRODA (if required) will be impacted.

From 30 April 2023, health professionals who rely on adaptor technology will not be able to use Medicare Online to submit claims and data. They will need to upgrade their software to web services and PRODA (if required) or use other claiming channels. Targeted emails have been sent to health professionals about this.

See the Process page for help to answer enquiries from health professionals.

Customers will only be affected if their health professional does not have upgraded software.

The health professional may ask customers to submit their own Medicare claims. This can be done:

• online
• by mail, or
• at a service centre

See the Resources page for a link to Medicare self service on the Services Australia website to help with customer enquiries.

Health professionals need to make sure they:

• have web services compatible software
• register their organisation in PRODA and link their Minor ID to the PRODA account (if required)
• link their organisation’s PRODA account to a channel (known as a ‘health service provider’)

Health professionals should contact their software developer to make sure their software is upgraded and using web services and PRODA (if required).

If they do not have a software developer, or would like a new one, they can see 'How to find a software developer' on the Services Australia website. See the Resources page for a link.

See the Process page for help to answer enquiries, including linking to a health services provider and setting up a Business to Business (B2B) device.

Information and support are available to help telephony staff answer A2WS enquiries.

See the Process page for help to answer enquiries from:

• health professionals
• software developers
• the public

Other claiming channels for Medicare Online include HPOS.

Health professionals can also ask patients to submit their own claims through Medicare.

The Resources page contains links to:

• the Business Continuity Web Services Escalation form
• contact details
• Services Australia website and external websites
• forms