The eligibility of a patient for Bulk Billing can be determined in real-time using the Online Patient Verification (OPV). This allows the practice to make an informed decision as to whether they want to admit the patient for services, whether they are likely to be paid for the service, and to update the patient record from Medicare records.

After the OPV has been completed, Medicare may return updates to patient information. Other advisements as to the eligibility of the patient to receive benefits may also be supplied and will be made available to the user.