Medicare Card Swiper

If you have a Medicare card swiper connected to your computer, you can use it to scan a patient's Medicare Card, inserting their Medicare Number automatically into Pracsoft, saving you having to manually enter it. You can also swipe the card to quickly search for patients associated with it.

Before You Begin

It is important to note that a Medicare card swiper is a different device to your EFTPOS machine. Although both are designed to read the magnetic strip on a card, an EFTPOS machine cannot be used to read Medicare Card data into Pracsoft.

There are numerous Medicare card swipers on the market. Consult your Systems Administrator for advice regarding a model suitable for your Practice's needs.

Please consult your Systems Administrator if you require assistance with the installation and configuration of a dedicated Medicare card swiper - you need to ensure that it is functional outside of MedicalDirector Pracsoft. This may involve downloading and installing the correct drivers for your Operating System, and using the reader's supplied diagnostic/configuration utility to verify its functionality.

 

Use a Medicare Card Swiper in Pracsoft

When searching for patients.

Click within the Patient / Medicare / Chart Number field and swipe to return all the patients associated with the card number.


 

When adding a new patient or editing an existing patient.

Click within the Medicare Number text field and swipe to automatically record the card number and expiry date.


When recording a visit.

Ensure the Perform OPV Check option is ticked in Online Claiming settings. Ensure the When Recording a Visit option is ticked in Patient Settings. Then, when recording a visit for a patient (who does not already have their Medicare Number recorded), upon finishing the visit you will be prompted to enter the patient's Medicare card details. Click within the Medicare No text field provided, and swipe to automatically record the card number.


When adding a patient to the Waiting Room.

Ensure the Perform OPV Check option is ticked in Online Claiming settings. Ensure the When Added to Waiting Room option is ticked in Patient Settings. Then, when adding a patient (who does not already have their Medicare Number recorded) to the Waiting Room you will be prompted to enter the patient's Medicare card details. Click within the Medicare No text field provided, and swipe to automatically record the card number.


When searching for appointments.

In the Find Appointment window, ensure the Linked Patient Appointment option is selected, click within the Search For text box, swipe the card, and then click  If a patient associated with that card number has an scheduled appointment, they will be listed in the search results.