Important Update on 1 July 2026 Assignment of Benefit Changes

This article applies to users running all Bp Premier versions.

Following the announcement on the 18th of June from the Australian Government and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing regarding changes to the Assignment of Benefit (AoB) reforms due to commence on 1 July 2026, please review this update on what this means for your Practice and how Best Practice Software will support you through the transition.

Last updated: 19 June 2026

What has changed?

The Government has revised the Assignment of Benefit transition timeline, as published here. Key changes include:

  • From 1 July, verbal consent will be available in all settings for 12 months.
  • Enduring assignment of benefit will be an option for all MyMedicare registered patients, residents of aged care facilities and patients attending Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) from 1 July 2026 – brought forward from April 2027.
  • Patients attending ACCHOs will be able to have enduring assignment at multiple sites.
  • Compliance will not commence until regulatory changes are complete and will begin with prevention and education.
  • There will be a 12-month transition period, during which there is a commitment to work with the profession on the changed approach and explore other options to further reduce the administrative burden on both GP practices and patients while ensuring the integrity of Medicare is maintained.

What does this mean for my Practice?

The Oxford release of Bp Premier already includes comprehensive support for the Assignment of Benefit reforms. While these workflows were originally scheduled to become active from 1 July, the announcement on the 18th of June changes the immediate requirements for Practices.

To align with the revised Government approach and minimise disruption for Practices:

  • Customers who have already upgraded to Oxford will receive an update via our July Data Update (DU) that will prevent the new AoB workflows from automatically activating.
  • A utility will also be made available for Practices that wish to apply this change prior to receiving the July DU.
  • Customers who have not yet upgraded to Oxford are asked to delay upgrading while we finalise the next release. Oxford has been temporarily removed from our website for this reason.

What's Next?

Our development teams are already working on Oxford SP1, which will provide support for the revised legislative requirements, including:

  • A Practice-level setting to enable AoB workflows when required.
  • New data capture options for Verbal Assignment and Enduring Assignment.
  • Additional workflow refinements to support the Government’s transitional arrangements.

We anticipate making Oxford SP1 available in mid to late July.

Until Oxford SP1's release, it is recommended that Practices continue to capture Assignment of Benefit details as per your current practice policy and/or processes.

What action is required?

At this stage, no immediate action is required.

  • If you have already installed Oxford, please watch for further communication regarding the July DU or utility release.
  • If you have not yet upgraded to Oxford, please wait for the release of Oxford SP1.

We will continue to monitor Government guidance closely and will keep Practices informed as further information becomes available.