Helix Updates

26 June, 2026

For GPs and Practice Managers.

This page is accurate as at 26 June 2026, we will regularly update this page as and when new information becomes available.    

What to do and when 

When	What	Version
Right now	Nothing changes to your day-to-day workflow. Verbal consent (“are you happy to be bulk billed?”) is legally sufficient for 12 months from 1 July 2026. No penalties, no audits.	All current versions
Upgrade to Helix-145	Get the updated DB4 – Post Assignment form, new AoB consent capture workflow, and AoB Assignment Summary report. All delivered and live.	Helix-145 (live 23 June 2026)
Later in 2026	Enduring AoB support and pre-assignment enhancements.	Future release (planned)
Before 1 July 2027	Adopt a consistent digital consent workflow using Helix and/or our partners.	Ongoing

What’s changing 

The Health Insurance Amendment Regulations 2025 update how patient consent for bulk billing is captured. The old DB4 form is replaced by a new “DB4 – Post Assignment” agreement with additional required fields. 

On 18 June 2026, the government announced key modifications (RACGP summary): 

• Verbal consent is sufficient for 12 months from 1 July 2026, alongside the requirement to keep the documented agreement for two years (based on current Government guidance as at the date of this newsletter). 

• Compliance enforcement will not begin until regulatory changes are complete — starting with education, not penalties. 

• Enduring AoB (ongoing consent across visits) is available from 1 July for MyMedicare patients, aged care residents, and ACCHO patients. Government is still confirming how this is recorded in software. 

How Helix meets each requirement 

1. Capturing consent — Post-assignment (Release: Helix-145 — live) 

What the legislation requires: An agreement containing patient name, Medicare number, provider details, service date, MBS item(s), agreement date, agreement type, whether the assignor is the patient, and an updated privacy notice. 

In Helix-145: AoB fields are built directly into the bulk billing workflow. When you issue a bulk bill, Helix captures: 

Field	How it works
Agreement Date	Auto-populated with date and time (centre time zone, DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM am/pm)
Agreement Type	Post-assignment (set automatically for post-consult billing)
Is the assignor the patient?	Defaults based on patient age (overridable). Yes/No.

Workflow: 

1. Open the patient visit and select Bulk Bill as the billing type. 

1. The new AoB fields appear on the billing screen. Review and confirm the values. 

1. Issue the bill. The AoB values are locked — they cannot be changed after billing. 

1. To print the DB4 – Post Assignment form: tick the Print checkbox when issuing, or print from Transaction History for a specific Visit ID. 

The printed DB4 – Post Assignment form includes all legislatively required fields: 

Field	Change from old DB4
Title	“DB4” → “DB4 – Post Assignment”
Document type	“FORM” → “AGREEMENT”
Legal reference	Updated to Health Insurance Regulations 2018
New fields	Agreement Date, Agreement Type, Is assignor the patient?
Signature label	→ “Patient or Assignor Signature”
Privacy notice	Updated (references Privacy Act 1988)
Removed	LSPN Number, Assignment Form Number

Consent enforcement: If no consent option is selected, AoB is not processed. Only one consent option can be active at a time. Once captured, AoB values are displayed and frozen on both the Billing and Resolved screens. 

During the 12-month verbal consent period, you do not need to print the form. Verbal consent is enough. 

2. Capturing consent — Pre-assignment 

What the legislation requires: A separate agreement where the patient consents by service group (e.g., “general consult”) before the consultation. 

In Helix-145: Pre-assignment details can be captured from the Billing and Transaction History screens. However, the primary pre-assignment pathway is through our partners — see Section 4 below. Hotdoc, AutoMed, and HealthEngine handle pre-assignment consent during the booking flow. Helix receives an acknowledgement with a date/time stamp. 

SMS consent: Helix supports SMS via its existing SMSGlobal infrastructure. Practices can send AoB consent requests to patients via SMS. Contact Helix support to set up SMS templates for AoB consent. 

3. Running reports and keeping records (Release: Helix-145 — live) 

What the legislation requires: Practices must keep AoB records for 2 years and provide a copy to the patient on request. 

In Helix-145: A new Assignment of Benefits report is available under the Financial Reports dropdown. 

How to access: Navigate to Financial Reports → select “Assignment of Benefits” from the report dropdown. 

Filters: 

• Patient name (with “select all”) 

• Centre 

• Provider name (with “select all”) 

• Date range (filters on date of service) 

• Visit ID 

Export: CSV export, print, and preview. The report currently shows all records but will be filtered to show Medicare Bulk Bill records only when Helix release 146 goes live later this year.. 

4. Enduring AoB (ongoing consent across visits) 

What the legislation provides for: Enduring consent for MyMedicare patients, aged care residents, and ACCHO patients from 1 July 2026. The government has not yet published how this is recorded in software. 

Status: Helix is committed to working with the Department of Health on implementing the new Enduring Assignment of Benefit workflows as and when they become available. 

 

What our partners are doing 

Before making changes in Helix, check what your practice already uses. If a partner captures AoB, there is no need to capture it again. 

Partner	What they handle	Action needed in Helix?
Hotdoc	Full pre-assignment consent during online booking. Patient selects visit type and consents. This is automatic — not optional. Hotdoc stores the record.	Details coming.
Tyro	Patient pressing the green button on the Tyro terminal = consent. Tyro keeps a digital record of the button press and billing event. This exemption continues beyond 1 July.	None. Nothing changes.
AutoMed	Integrated with Helix. AoB workflow in development with Telstra Health.	Details coming.
HealthEngine	Integrated for online appointments.	Details coming.
SMSGlobal	Existing Helix SMS infrastructure. Can send AoB consent requests directly to patients via SMS using government-approved templates.	Contact Helix support to set up AoB SMS templates.

This document is a general overview based on publicly available government materials and current product plans as at 25 June 2026. It does not constitute legal or professional advice. Refer to RACGP guidance and Services Australia for further information. For product support, visit the Helix Knowledge Centre.