Practice Partners Podcast

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Medicare’s Biggest Billing Change in Years? What Every Practice Needs to Know

From 1 July, the way practices obtain and record Assignment of Benefit (AoB) consent is changing... ever so slightly, marking one of the "most significant Medicare administration updates in history".

In this episode, Ami Assigal and Zac Pandur unpack what the new digital consent framework means for general practice, how software vendors are adapting, and what practice owners, managers, and clinicians need to do to remain compliant.

The discussion explores the move away from traditional paper-based processes, the increasing role of practice management systems, patient consent requirements, record keeping obligations, and the potential impact on fraud prevention and accountability. Ami and Zac also dive into the often-overlooked SMS Sender ID reforms at ACMA and why practices should act now to avoid disruption to patient communications.

Whether you're a GP, practice manager, nurse, receptionist, or healthcare business owner, this episode provides practical insights into the operational and compliance changes that will affect every Australian general practice.

In this episode:
• What Assignment of Benefit actually means and why it matters
• The new digital consent requirements commencing 1 July
• How Best Practice, HotDoc, Tyro and other systems are adapting
• Record keeping and compliance obligations for practices
• Potential risks, benefits and fraud considerations
• SMS Sender ID changes and what ACMA practices must do before the deadline
• Practical steps to prepare your practice for implementation

Key Takeaway:
The new AoB framework aims to modernise Medicare claiming and improve patient consent processes, but successful implementation will require practices to understand their obligations, update workflows, and ensure their technology partners are ready.

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We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

In this episode, Zac Pandur and Ami Assigal unpack the evolving world of healthcare marketing and the ongoing debate between managing marketing internally or partnering with external agencies. From social media strategy and branding to compliance, analytics, and long-term practice growth, this episode provides a practical look into what actually works in modern healthcare marketing.

The discussion explores the strengths and limitations of both internal teams and outsourced marketing providers, including the importance of understanding your current position before investing heavily into campaigns or branding. Zac and Ami also discuss the growing role of analytics tools, the risks of poor marketing advice, and why authenticity and compliance remain critical in healthcare.

Whether you’re a practice owner, manager, or healthcare entrepreneur, this episode offers practical insight into building a sustainable and effective marketing strategy.

Key Discussion Points:
• Pros and cons of internal marketing teams
• Benefits and risks of external marketing agencies
• How to assess your current marketing performance
• Building an effective healthcare brand
• Compliance considerations in healthcare marketing

Resources Mentioned:
Google Analytics: https://analytics.google.com/
Meta Business Suite: https://business.facebook.com/
AHPRA: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/
TGA Guidelines for Alternative Medicine Marketing: https://www.tga.gov.au/

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

This week, Zac Pandur and Ami Assigal discuss the hidden risks of walking intellectual property within general practice and business operations.

The episode explores how knowledge, processes, policies, procedures, and operational know-how can easily “walk out the door” when staff leave, and why strong SOPs, documentation, and handover processes are critical for protecting business continuity.

The team also touches on:

• Staff handovers and operational gaps
• Whether employees should work notice periods
• Building systems that reduce reliance on individuals
• Plenty of laughs along the way
• Celebrating Ami’s 40th birthday 🎉

Key Takeaway

If important knowledge only exists in one staff member’s head, it is a business risk. Strong systems and clear documentation protect both the team and the business.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

In Episode 82 of the Practice Partners Podcast, Zac Pandur takes on a solo discussion around one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare teams today: negativity in the industry and why positivity matters more than ever.

With increasing operational pressure, staffing shortages, burnout, and rising patient expectations, many healthcare environments have fallen into a cycle of stress, frustration, and reactive culture. In this episode, Zac explores how negativity impacts team morale, leadership, patient experience, and long-term business performance, and why leaders must take responsibility for shaping a more constructive workplace culture.

This is not about toxic positivity or ignoring real problems. It is about creating resilient teams, improving communication, and building workplaces where people feel supported, valued, and motivated despite the pressure.

Zac discusses:

•  Why negativity spreads quickly in healthcare environments 
•  The operational impact of poor workplace culture 
•  The difference between realism and pessimism 
•  How leadership behaviour shapes team morale 
•  Practical ways to improve positivity within practices and healthcare businesses 
•  Why culture is becoming a competitive advantage in healthcare 

A practical and honest conversation for practice owners, managers, healthcare leaders, and team members looking to improve culture and performance in an increasingly demanding industry.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

In this episode, Zac Pandur and Ami Assigal break down the realities of GP recruitment and why most clinics get it wrong.

From ineffective reference checks to poor alignment and cultural misfits, this conversation focuses on the practical steps required to hire well and reduce long-term risk when bringing doctors into your practice.

We cover:
• Why traditional reference checks are losing value and where they still matter for GPs
• How to identify early “yellow flags” and manage red flags within the first 6 to 12 months
• Aligning clinical interests, billing style, and expectations before onboarding
• How to run structured, effective reference conversations
• Recruiter vs practice-led reference checks
• Trial periods and ongoing review vs traditional probation
• Cultural fit and personality in long-term success
• Key legal considerations when engaging doctors

We also speak honestly about:
• The lack of transparency across healthcare recruitment
• Why most references are overly positive and lack real insight
• The risk of hiring for convenience rather than alignment
• The long-term cost of cultural misfits

If your practice is hiring or considering bringing on new doctors, this is a necessary reset. Structured recruitment, strong alignment, and disciplined processes are critical to building a stable and high-performing clinical team.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

In this episode, Zac Pandur and Ami Assigal break down the recent RBA surcharge changes announcement and what they actually mean for general practice.

With shifts in payment processing rules and increasing cost pressures, practices need to reassess how they approach billing, surcharges, and patient communication. This episode focuses on the practical steps required to stay compliant while maintaining financial stability.

We cover:
 • What the RBA surcharge changes are and how they impact your practice
 • The real cost of payment processing and how to manage it
 • Fee adjustments and when they are necessary
 • How to communicate pricing changes clearly to patients
 • Supporting your team with consistent messaging and scripting
 • Financial discipline and maintaining profitability in a changing environment

We also speak honestly about:
 • Why “consistent messaging is key when communicating fee changes”
 • The importance of equipping your team, not leaving them exposed
 • “Back yourself in pricing and know your practice's worth”

If your practice hasn’t reviewed its billing structure recently, this is a necessary reset. Clear pricing, strong communication, and confident leadership are critical in the current environment.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

Risk in healthcare is not theoretical. It is operational, daily, and often hiding in plain sight.

In Episode 79, Zac Pandur and Ami Assigal take a structured look at risk management in general practice, focusing on compliance, staff accountability, and the increasing scrutiny around Medicare and Assignment of Benefit.

As regulations tighten, practices that lack discipline in their processes will be the first exposed.

We cover:
 • The real sources of risk in medical practices today
 • Assignment of Benefit changes and what they mean for your clinic
 • Medicare compliance and audit preparedness
 • Staff training, accountability, and behavioural risk
 • The intersection of HR, compliance, and operational control
 • Practical steps to assess and mitigate risk across your practice

We also speak honestly about:
 • Why staff behaviour is one of the biggest uncontrolled risks in clinics
 • The gap between “knowing” compliance and actually executing it
 • The ownership burden, and why risk ultimately sits with you

If you are not actively managing risk in your practice, you are accepting it. This episode gives you the framework to take back control.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

Most practices do not fail from big, obvious issues. They drift through small, unnoticed problems that compound over time. Spot checks are the mechanism that stops that drift.

In this episode, Zac and Ami break down how to implement structured, meaningful spot checks that uncover issues early and drive accountability across your team.

We cover:
• What effective spot checks actually look like in a real practice
• How to audit Medicare registrations, billing patterns, and appointments
• Identifying revenue leakage through small operational gaps
• Reviewing cleanliness, patient experience, and front desk performance
• Building simple routines that can be repeated consistently
• Turning spot checks into a proactive management tool, not a reactive fix

We also speak honestly about:
• Why most spot checks are superficial and miss real problems
• The risk of ignoring overdue accounts, billing errors, and compliance gaps
• How lack of oversight leads to cultural and performance decline
• The difference between micromanagement and structured accountability
• Why consistency in checks matters more than intensity

This is a practical, operational episode focused on giving you clear actions you can implement immediately. Spot checks are not about control. They are about visibility, consistency, and protecting the long-term performance of your business.

If you are not actively reviewing your systems, you are relying on luck. That is not a strategy.

Listen now and put structure around one of the simplest ways to improve performance, reduce risk, and protect revenue.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

This episode takes a different approach.

Zac and Ami run through a rapid-fire round of true or false questions, unpacking some of the most common assumptions in general practice and challenging what actually holds up in the real world.

Each question opens up a deeper conversation around performance, efficiency, and where practices are quietly losing money.

We cover:
• Whether busy clinics are actually profitable
• If more patients really equals better performance
• The role of nurses in driving revenue and efficiency
• How much impact systems and software really have on outcomes
• Why practice managers can make or break performance
• Where hidden opportunities sit within your current operations

We also speak honestly about:
• The gap between perception and reality in most practices
• Why activity often gets mistaken for productivity
• The operational inefficiencies that go unnoticed day-to-day
• How culture influences performance more than most realise
• The risks of running without clear structure and accountability

This format is fast, direct, and practical. No overcomplication, just clear insights tied to real operational challenges.

If you want a sharper lens on what is actually working in your practice, and what is not, this episode will give you exactly that.

Listen now and pressure test your own assumptions against what actually drives results.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/

Send us your enquiry or question directly!

Hiring friends or family sounds simple. In reality, it is one of the quickest ways to damage culture, create tension, and lose control of standards if handled poorly.

In this episode, Ami and Zac break down how to approach these situations with structure, clarity, and discipline so you protect both the relationship and the business.

We cover:
• When hiring friends or family actually makes sense, and when it does not
• Setting clear boundaries from day one to avoid blurred roles
• How to create proper job descriptions, KPIs, and accountability early
• Avoiding favouritism and maintaining fairness across the team
• Managing performance issues without damaging personal relationships
• Why documentation and structure matter more in these scenarios

We also speak honestly about:
• The emotional bias that leads to poor hiring decisions
• How delays in addressing issues make things worse
• The risk to team culture when standards are not applied consistently
• Handling resignations or fallout when things do not work out
• Why professionalism must override personal relationships

This is a practical discussion for business owners and managers who want to avoid the common mistakes that come with hiring people they know. Done right, these hires can work. Done poorly, they create long-term damage.

If you are considering bringing a friend or family member into your business, or already have, this episode gives you a clear framework to manage it properly.

Listen now and take control of one of the most misunderstood areas of leadership.

Support the show

We would love for you to share your thoughts, questions, and stories to: [email protected]

Find any resources discussed in this podcast, and all of our other resources at https://www.practicepartners.com.au/resources/