Stop paying agencies for knowledge your clinic can own.

Start with these five steps. 1: Verify their AHPRA registration type and any conditions on the public register. 2: Check your clinic’s DPA status at the Health Workforce Locator — if you’re non-DPA, confirm the doctor holds an exemption. 3: Confirm their visa type and work rights — if you need to sponsor a 482 visa, you’ll need to be an approved Standard Business Sponsor. 4: Identify their training pathway (EAP, PEP, FSP, AGPT) and whether your clinic meets the requirements. 5: Begin credentialing and apply for their provider number — allow 2–8 weeks. The most common delay is documentation, so ask for documents upfront before confirming a start date.

Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act imposes a 10-year moratorium on most IMG doctors. During this period, the doctor can only bill Medicare at DPA (Distribution Priority Area) locations. If your clinic is DPA, most 19AB-restricted doctors can work and bill there — check your exact address at the Health Workforce Locator. If you’re not DPA, the doctor needs an approved exemption (locum, after-hours, or spousal). Key points clinics often get wrong: DPA and MM are completely separate classifications. Fellowship does not end the moratorium — only time does. And the moratorium is address-specific, so check each clinic location individually.

The Bulk Billing Incentive (BBI) is an additional Medicare payment on top of the standard rebate for bulk-billed consultations with concession card holders and children under 16. It’s automatic — no separate application needed. The amount varies by MM classification: roughly $6 in MM1 (metro), $7.50 in MM2, $9–$11 in MM3–MM5, and $12+ in MM6–MM7. In a bulk billing practice seeing 30 eligible patients per day, BBI adds $180–$360 per doctor per day — that’s $45,000–$90,000 annually per doctor. In higher MM areas, BBI can make bulk billing financially comparable to mixed billing. Include it in your revenue modelling.