Medicare Benefits Schedule - Note PN.3.2

In addition to holding a request in writing from the treating medical or dental practitioner or from another Approved Pathology Practitioner, the following additional details must be recorded on the account, receipt or assignment form of the Approved Pathology Practitioner providing the service: 

(i)         the surname and initials of the Approved Pathology Practitioner who performed the service and either his/her practice address or the provider number for the address;

(ii)        the name of the person to whom the service was rendered;

(iii)       the date on which the service was rendered;

(iv)       the name of the requesting practitioner; or in the case of a referred test, the name of the original requesting practitioner;

(v)        the date on which the request was made; or in the case of a referred test, the date on which the original request was made;

(vi)       the requesting practitioner's provider number;

(vii)      a description of the pathology service in words which are derived from the item description in the Schedule and are of sufficient detail to identify the specific test in the Schedule that was rendered. Instead of such a full description, the abbreviations contained in the group abbreviations listed at PN.0.31 are acceptable alternatives (see PN.0.28);

(viii)     where the Approved Pathology Practitioner determines or provides a pathology service on his/her own patient, the account must be endorsed "sd"; and

(ix)       provide collection centre identification number if the specimen was collected in a licensed collection centre (or approved pathology collection centre). 

Where some services are referred from one Approved Pathology Practitioner to another Approved Pathology Practitioner, the request details to be shown on the second Approved Pathology Practitioner's account, receipt or assignment form must be identical to those of the original requesting practitioner including the date of request.

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