Can a GP registrar bill Medicare independently?

Yes, with a 3GA provider number. Registrars can bill all standard GP consultation items (3, 23, 36, 44), telehealth items, care plan items, mental health items, and procedural items within their scope. However, your supervisor must be available (on-site or by phone depending on your training level) and your practice must meet supervision requirements. You bill under your own provider number — not your supervisor's.

Medicare Billing for Registrars

Q: How do GP registrars get a provider number?

GP registrars receive a 3GA provider number through their Regional Training Organisation. This is a location-specific Medicare provider number linked to your training practice. It allows you to bill Medicare for consultations under supervision. When you move to a new training practice, you get a new 3GA number for that location. After fellowship, you apply for a full (19AA) provider number through Services Australia.

Your first day in practice and you've never billed anything. Here's how it all works.

📋 Source: Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS Online). Services Australia — provider numbers. AGPT program training requirements. NTCER. Item numbers and rebates are approximate and subject to change. This is career information — not billing advice. Always verify with MBS Online and your practice manager.
Last reviewed July 2026.

🇦🇺 Australia only

ℹ️ Career information only. Billing rules change. Always verify with MBS Online, your RTO, and your practice manager. This is a plain-English overview, not billing advice.

Your provider number

3GA provider number

What you get as a registrar. Location-specific — linked to your training practice. Changes when you move practice. Allows you to bill Medicare for consultations under supervision. Applied for by your RTO.

19AA provider number

What you get after fellowship (FRACGP or FACRRM). Not location-specific — works at any practice. Full billing rights. You apply through Services Australia after your college confirms fellowship.

Key point: You bill under YOUR provider number, not your supervisor's. Your billings appear on YOUR Medicare statistics. This matters later for practice applications and loan applications.

What you can bill as a registrar

With a 3GA provider number, you can bill the same MBS items as a fully qualified GP. The supervision requirement doesn't restrict your item range — it determines who needs to be available if you need help.

✅Standard consultations — items 3, 23, 36, 44 (by time) ✅Telehealth — phone and video consultation items ✅Care plans — item 965 (CCMP), 967 (review). Generate templates → ✅Health assessments — 715, 701–707, 703, 705 ✅Mental health plans — 2715, 2717 ✅Procedures — skin excisions, wound repair, IUD, implanon, joint injections (within your competence and supervision level) ✅Pathology and imaging requests — same ordering rights as any GP ⚠️After-hours items — check your practice agreement. Some practices restrict registrar after-hours work.

Supervision levels

Your supervision level determines how available your supervisor needs to be, not what you can bill.

Level	Supervisor availability	When
Level 1 (Direct)	Supervisor on-site and available immediately	GPT1 — your first GP placement
Level 2 (Indirect)	Supervisor available within 30 minutes (can be off-site but reachable)	GPT2 — second term or later
Level 3 (Remote)	Supervisor available by phone within a reasonable timeframe	GPT3+ / Extended skills — later in training

Practical tip: Even at Level 1, your supervisor won't be in the room with you for every consult. They're in the building and available to come in or debrief. Don't be afraid to knock on their door — that's literally their job.

Items you'll bill most often

Item	Time	Rebate (approx)	When to use
23	6–20 min	~$42	Standard consult. Your bread and butter.
36	20–40 min	~$80	Long consult. Complex issues, multiple problems, care plans.
44	40+ min	~$117	Prolonged consult. Rarely needed — document why.
965	Varies	$160.60	Chronic Condition Management Plan (CCMP). Same fee for 967 review.
715	Varies	$254.10	ATSI Health Assessment. Every 9 months.
2715	Varies	~$100	Mental Health Treatment Plan.

Full searchable list: MBS Quick Reference → | Check same-day rules: Billing Conflict Checker →

Common registrar billing mistakes

❌Under-billing — you spent 25 minutes with a complex patient but billed item 23 (6–20 min) because it felt "safer." If you spent the time, bill the appropriate item. Document the time and complexity. ❌Billing item 36 for every patient — the opposite problem. If the consult was genuinely 12 minutes, bill 23. Time-based billing must reflect actual consultation time. ❌Not billing care plans — if a patient has a chronic condition lasting 6+ months, they probably qualify for a 965 CCMP. Registrars often forget to set these up. It's good medicine AND good billing. ❌Forgetting the 715 — if you have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients, the 715 is one of the most valuable things you can do. Ask every Indigenous patient when their last health check was. ❌Not documenting time — if you're audited, you need to demonstrate the time spent matched the item billed. A quick note ("consult 25 min, complex — multiple active problems") is enough.

This is your practice's decision, not yours. Most training practices have a set billing policy — some bulk bill everyone, some privately bill adults, some have a mixed model. Your practice manager handles the financial side. You focus on the clinical work and correct item selection. Ask your practice manager to walk you through the billing workflow on your first day.

As a registrar, you're paid under the NTCER (National Terms and Conditions for Employment of Registrars). Your base pay is not directly tied to your billings — it's a salary. However, some practices offer a top-up or bonus based on billings exceeding a threshold. After fellowship, most GPs move to a percentage arrangement (typically 65–70% of billings). Understanding billing now prepares you for that transition.

Full registrar pay guide →

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MBS Item Lookup

Search 120+ GP item numbers, fees and rebates.

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Billing Bundle Checklist

Doing a health assessment or care plan? Don't miss the add-on items.

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Billing Conflict Checker

Can I bill these together?

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Assessment Templates

Generate 715, 965, 701 for your PMS.

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Registrar Pay Explained

NTCER rates and take-home pay.

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DVA Card Guide

Gold/White/Orange — what to bill.

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Non-VR Billing Guide

Group A2 items for non-fellowship GPs.

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PBS Authority Scripts Explained

Streamlined vs telephone authority, how to call, what to do if you forget.

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