National Home Doctor service faces Medicare billing probe

It’s the popular service that sends a bulk-billing GP to a patient’s front door at any hour of the night. But the National Home Doctor Service is facing government scrutiny over “inappropriate practice”.

The National Home Doctor Service, which has built a business empire, is facing government scrutiny over Medicare billing.

The service, which is particularly popular with the elderly and parents with sick children, sends a bulk-billing GP to a patient’s front door at any hour of the night, almost anywhere in the country.

Known as 13SICK, the company has become an international operation with 800 doctors on its books and annual revenues above $54 million.

The National Home Doctor Service is being probed over Medicare billing.

Previous directors include former federal health Minister Michael Wooldrige and former Labor senator Sam Dastyari.

But, as the ABC has revealed, a probe has been launched by the government agency tasked with protecting the integrity of Medicare and weeding out inappropriate billing.

The Director of Professional Standards Review, Julie Quinlivan, has launched a probe into whether the National Home Doctor Service “knowingly, recklessly or negligently” allowed some of its doctors to engage in “inappropriate practice” in relation to Medicare billing, the ABC reports.

Previous directors include Sam Dastyari. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

It is unclear from public documents what kind of inappropriate practices the government agency is investigating. The ABC says there is no suggestion the National Home Doctor Service, its directors or staff have broken the law.

In a statement to the ABC, the company’s chief executive officer, John Pappalardo, said the investigation related to doctors billing Medicare for “urgent” consultations.

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“We are confident that we have at all times met the expectations of the Professional Services Review and the governing legislation,” he said.

Court documents show Ms Quinlivan decided to pursue the investigation after meeting with 15 doctors who worked with the company, the ABC reports.

A spokesman for Health Minister Greg Hunt told News Corp Australia: “As this is under investigation it would be inappropriate to comment and is a matter for the PSR.”