Physician‐patient relations

Objectives To understand general practice staff and consumers' views of MyMedicare, which is Australia's voluntary patient registration scheme introduced in October 2023 to enhance continuity of care.Study TypeQualitative exploratory research using semi-structured interviews. Analysis was conducted using an inductive approach.Setting, ParticipantsAustralian primary care including general practices, community organisations and the wider Australian community. Data were collected from January 2025 to April 2026. Consumers eligible to register with the MyMedicare scheme and general practice staff (general practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers, reception staff) involved with registering patients under the scheme. Interviews conducted with 45 general practice staff and 50 consumers.Main Outcome MeasuresQualitative expression of general practice staff and consumers' awareness of, and knowledge about, MyMedicare, their perceptions of the value of the scheme and practice staff's experiences of implementing the MyMedicare scheme.ResultsStaff and consumers demonstrated broad support for the concept of voluntary patient registration to enhance continuity of care; however, staff described limited current benefits, substantial implementation burden for practices and administrative processes, which could sometimes distract from clinical work and undermine continuity of care. Consumers had limited understanding of the MyMedicare scheme and why they should register and, in most instances, did not find it was providing them with anything beyond their pre-existing care.ConclusionThe current paucity of benefits from MyMedicare registration for both consumers and practices may have implications for the success of the scheme. Anticipated funding for patient care linked to MyMedicare has encouraged large numbers of practices to register despite the administrative workload, whereas low consumer awareness of the scheme and limited benefits for patients are likely contributing to much lower levels of patient registration. Without further incentives for consumers and practices, the MyMedicare scheme may have limited impact on continuity of care and patient outcomes.

Sanjyot Vagholkar, Ashfaq Chauhan, Gaston Arnolda, Maha Iqbal, Janani Mahadeva, Rebecca Mitchell, Elizabeth Manias, Kate Churruca, Bronwyn Newman, Magdalena Raban, Kirsten Moore, Ramya Walsan, Johanna Westbrook, Jeffrey Braithwaite, Charbel Badr, Lily Edwards, Reema Harrison