This will eliminate any need to present a receipt to the health fund in person or by mail and therefore saving you valuable time. Any out-of-pocket expenses can also be settled immediately via the EFTPOS facility with credit or debit cards.
www.hicaps.com.au


2. HICAPS in detail

HICAPS is a means of on-line processing via the EFTPOS system of health fund claims for consumers through a merchant facility. The facility is linked by telephone to a central processing area based in Melbourne that is connected to each health fund participating in the system. A claim for spectacle or contact lenses is directed to HICAPS by swiping the patients membership card through the terminal thereby accessing the patients file within the health fund's computer record. If the patient is eligible, paperwork is generated back to the terminal to indicate the transaction is being partially or fully funded. The money is then transferred from the health fund to the Nation Australia Bank and credited to the Merchant's bank account same day for NAB customers and next day for other banks.

The time for a claim response after details have been entered is approximately 10-15 seconds. Two copies of the claim are generated with one going to the cardholder and one for the merchant. If the total amount of a claim is not covered by the health fund, then the terminal prompts the outstanding balance for credit card or debit card payment. The HICAPS system has virtually eliminated the inconvenience of taking or posting a receipt to the health fund and then waiting days or weeks for a cheque to be sent with the refund. The hectic pace of today's society has meant that the introduction of these electronic facilities, such as HICAPS, B-Pay and electronic banking have reduced the time and inconveniences for both customer and merchant in handling transactions.


3. System participants
The system participants involved in HICAPS is the Optometrist, bank, health fund and the patient.