Is the contract binding or month to month?

There are no lock in contracts. You pay monthly in advance. You can leave anytime with 30 days notice.
You can try Synapps MBS free for 30 days (established billers) and 60 days (first time billers).
Price match guarantee: if you have received a lower priced identical service and can provide evidence of this in writing, we will match it.

How is this different to Eclipse or a billing company?

This system is fully ECLIPSE enabled.

Synapps MBS replaces the role of billing companies completely. We know because we are a billing company!

Having handled manual medical billing processing for decades, we have developed a system that provides everything a billing service provides for a fraction of the cost. It is also much faster and more accurate than any other medical billing system or process. In addition, you do as much or as little as you want yourself and only use us for difficult rejections or when your own staff are on leave. You simply bill using the app and your claims will go straight through to Medicare, the funds, and other payers and payment processing and receipting is also automatic. When claims are rejected you can have your own secretary fix and resubmit them, or send them to us using the Send to Synapse (S2S) functionality in a single tap and we’ll take care of it for you (conditions apply).

Does this have a facility to charge, and processes to chase, out-of-pocket payments?

Yes, the new Synapps MBS is a complete medical billing system. We have an IFC function in which we collect pre-payments from your patients, so you won’t be chasing out-of-pocket payments. But we are there to help you when errant claims do occur.

Can reports be created to show monthly and EOFY incomings, outgoings, and debtor account summaries?

Yes, if you are on a DIY package you can login and create your own reports using any date range, and the reports cater comprehensively for both cash and accruals accounting. If you are on a serviced package accounting reports will be available on your Synapse profile page each month.

Is there a backup service to pursue arrears or rejected claims?

Yes, the system comes with on-demand support using the Send to Synapse (S2S) function.

Is there an early payment service for those pts willing to prepay?

If you use the IFC service, we will inform your patients of fees, including available discounts, and collect prepayment before your list takes place.

Is there a free trial version of Synapps MBS?

Yes! Click here for our free trial 

What is your turnaround time for billings?

The turnaround time on billings is up to you. If you set your claims to go straight away, they will. So as soon as you have submitted your list after you have completed it, providing all required data is in the claim, it will be automatically transmitted. It is the fastest in Australia – instant! Or, if you prefer your claims transmit once daily at midnight, you can set your settings accordingly. It’s entirely up to you.

What is your turnaround time for IFC?

We require patient details at least 3 full days prior to your list. As soon as we receive those details we will SMS the patient requesting they call to pre-pay for the anaesthetic, at which time we spend about 10-15 minutes on the phone with the patient explaining fees and gaps and rebates. We also email a written IFC confirming everything discussed in the phone call and detailing all fees and rebates again. We ask the patient to sign and return the written IFC or reply to the email saying they agree. We then email you a summary of IFC statuses before your list. Sometimes we may have trouble contacting the patients, but we keep calling and emailing. That is why we need 3 days’ notice, so we have time to catch the patient for the discussion. It is an exceptionally good service for $10!

How do you handle patient complaints about out of pocket expenses?

We have never had a complaint because our IFC service is so good. But in the event that a patient complained about fees we would listen to their concerns and advise them in accordance with your instructions. If you did not have any standing instructions then we would not take payment in the first instance but contact you by email to let you know about the patient’s concerns and seek your further instructions before contacting the patient again. We do not anticipate this would happen often. It is not our experience. We find that what patients don’t like is surprises. When they are fully informed about fees they are usually fine making payment and have no further queries or concerns.

Who answers the phone when I call?

This is the cheapest service available on the Australian market, without in any way compromising quality. One of the ways we have managed to keep our prices so low, is by using technology rather that paper and people. The support available for this service is a chat forum, staffed by real people, from 10:00am till midnight business days. You have full access to this chat forum. On occasion we may also email you as mentioned. For patients receiving IFC, they will speak with one of our IFC specialists.

Is Synapps MBS tax deductible?

Yes.

Is there a way I can claim for phone advice provided to insurers or other clinicians?

You can certainly invoice your colleagues for consulting services. There is nothing to stop you doing that, however you cannot claim this service from either Medicare or the other payers. The process is simply to issue a tax invoice to your colleagues which would need to have GST added (assuming you are registered for GST) and they would pay it just in the same way they would pay any other bill from a third party provider. Subject to tax advice from their own financial advisers, it is expected your colleagues would be able to claim this cost as an input tax credit and effectively get it back each quarter via their BAS. Our system can handle this as long as we have the email addresses of the people to whom we will be sending accounts. You could set each of them up as a new payer in the system yourself, or if you want us to do this for you we would charge a separate fee which we wold determine based on the amount of work involved.

Can I use Synapps MBS to process old claims once I'm registered?

For Worker's Compensation and Third-Party claims, yes - you can use Synapps MBS to process old claims once registered.
For Private Health Insurer claims, yes, if the claim is within 2 years of the date of service and you were eligible (i.e. registered with Medical and the PHI) to claim at date of service.
New providers can only claim for services provided from their date of registration.


In relation to the tally of submitted claims/picture messages per month, when/how this is calculated (eg/ Calendar month, Billing date, Date of Service, Date of Submission etc.).

As a DIY client your billing cycle is your new starting point. So if you pay for the month ahead on the 2nd of the month then your numbers reset at that point. This includes claims and pictures uploaded & submitted. During this period even a draft claim (yet to be submitted) will be counted as a valid claim. Please contact us if you need further clarification on this. (Call - 1300 510 114 | Email - cs@synapsemedical.com.au)