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Is after hours care keeping patients out of emergency departments?

4 Jul 2016

Medicare expenditure on after hours GP services has risen dramatically in the past year. But does it really keep patients out of Emergency Departments. Margaret Faux chatted with Ellen Leadbeater on 2SER FM’s Think Health about the rise in after hours care. Listen to the full tra…

Privatisation of Medicare is risky business

28 Jun 2016

We have come to expect that our politicians will dismiss each other’s policies as scaremongering when it’s expedient to do so. But we demand more of our journalists, whose job it is to provide balance and perspective. Last night the ABC let us down in this regard when it comes …

If bulk billing stops patients will pay full fees upfront

17 Jun 2016

Margaret Faux’s recent Croakey post, republished on the Medical Republic, explaining the devastating impact an end to bulk billing will have on patients. Read the full article on medicalrepublic.com.au…

Medicare rebate freeze will hit patients harder than they realise

6 Jun 2016

In this recent Croakey article, Margaret Faux explains the real impact of the freeze on patients and how use of the term ‘co-payment’ is misleading and often poorly understood.

Read the story in full on Croakey.org…

Does Medicare Need Modernising?

27 Jan 2016

Medicare is one of those things that’s distinctly Australian but does it need to adapt to the times? Margaret Faux is a lawyer, registered nurse and founder of Synapse Medical Services.

Her PhD is entitled “Claiming and compliance under the Medicare Benefits Schedule: A critic…

Think: Health Radio Interview 2ser 107.3 – two stories you have probably heard very little about

26 Jun 2015

2ser 107.3 take a look at the health professional behind your Medicare transaction.

How knowledgable are they about rebates? Could the government save money by investing in Medicare training for doctors? They speak to Margaret Faux, a PhD student in the Faculty of Health at th…

Seeking a Cure, The Private Practice Magazine

3 Apr 2014

In putting out an SOS for the Medicare Benefits Scheme, Margaret Faux says what we need is a thorough examination of the way it is used, along with a truly sustainable solution.
Seeking a Cure (488 KB)
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Number Crunch, The Private Practice Magazine

12 Dec 2013

Medicare provider numbers can prove to be a minefield for anyone practising in more than one location. There’s a lot of myth, not a lot of substance and woe betide anyone who dares to travel beyond the horizon. By deciphering fact from fiction, Margaret Faux provides some clari…

Access All Areas, The Private Practice Magazine

16 Sep 2013

While Telehealth is a rational approach to addressing specialist shortages in rural and remote parts of the country, Margaret Faux says there are complex issues for all practitioners to get to grips with.
Access All Areas (1229 KB)…

The Rules on Referrals, The Private Practice Magazine

21 Jul 2013

Worried about whether your referrals would stand up to scrutiny in a Medicare audit? In the interest of clearing up your concerns, Margaret Faux undertakes the forensics on this complex subject.
The Rules on Referrals (1364 KB)…

Contracts, Claiming and the Colon, The Private Practice Magazine

5 Apr 2013

Margaret poses the question: when do you have a contractual relationship with your patient as a service provider, when billing your patient?
Contracts, Claiming and the Colon (2112 KB)

Claiming on Consumables, The Private Practice Magazine

9 Dec 2012

Uncertain about the Medicare rules on charging for bandages and
other consumables? Margaret Faux outlines your options.
Claiming on Consumables (1087 KB)…

Note worthy, The Private Practice Magazine

24 Sep 2012

Keeping good patient records is a vital component of running an efficient medical practice, writes Margaret Faux.
Note worthy (621 KB)…

The cheque’s in the mail: managing arrears and bad debt in private practice

31 Aug 2012

The Cheque is in the mail (622 KB)…

Claiming Control, The Private Practice Magazine

22 Jun 2012

If a claim is made to Medicare with your provider number on it, Margaret Faux explains why the responsibility for it lies solely with you.
Claiming Control (685 KB)…

Medicare Matters, The Private Practice Magazine

4 Apr 2012

Working in the medical-billing arena is always interesting. Dealing with the machinations of Medicare and the health funds has been a continuous learning process.
Medicare Matters (393 KB)…

Handle with Care, The Private Practice magazine

10 Nov 2011

Can a patient provide too much information? Margaret Faux discusses the laws around privacy and what health professionals can do to safeguard records.

In the provision of health care, it seems strange to even contemplate that there could be too much information about a patient…

TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

6 Sep 2011

When is medical information too much information?

In the provision of health care, it seems strange to even consider that there could be too much information about a patient. Doctors are trained to only consider diagnosis and treatment when all the available facts have been ga…

Mind the gap, Medical Billing, The Private Practice magazine

6 Sep 2011

It’s a fact that some doctors misunderstand the constraints of bulk billing. To set the record straight, Margaret Faux explains the Medicare rules, using out-of-hospital services as an example.

When it comes to billing outpatients, with the exception of worker’s compensation, …

Myth Busting, Medical Billing, The Private Practice magazine

30 Sep 2010

Navigating the medical billing maze can be maddening, but dispelling five common beliefs helps to make sense of the system, writes Margaret Faux.

1. Simplified billing is simple
This is possibly the greatest misnomer in medical history. Simplified billing otherwise known as n…

Private Practice in a Bag, The Private Practice

18 Jun 2010

By Margaret Faux. In the 1990s, the spread of computers promised to free up office workers. Without the need for paper, workers would be able to set up their computer wherever there was space.

But it took a decade for “hot desking” to catch on. Today there are profes…