This week many doctors learnt something new about Medicare’s compliance unit and the reach of its numerous tentacles.

Since 2020, legislation has been in effect allowing the Department of Health and Aged Care to match MBS claims data with passenger movement records it gets from the Department of Home Affairs.

Through this process the department says it can identify fraud — ie, fake claims being made for consults that could never have occurred because the doctor was enjoying a two-week holiday on the Costa del Sol.

Fair enough, but it turns out there is another type of fraud it identifies — those doctors claiming for telehealth consults with their patients while overseas.