Service Provider Fact Sheet
Website and Online Portal
Known Issues and Updates
Thank you to those who have provided positive and constructive feedback since the release of
the new website and online portal to support the Australian Government Hearing Services
Program (the program).
A general reminder that all service provider (SP) staff should be encouraged to visit the Hearing
Services Online (HSO) project page on the Office of Hearing Services (the Office) website and
review the user guides, factsheets and other support information. Visit the HSO project page by
clicking the HSO project link in the green area at the bottom of any page of the website. Please
ensure you send any feedback or issues to hearing@health.gov.au
New issues and updates as at 30 April 2014
New release schedule set: New features and updates will be released to the portal every eight
weeks, with the next release scheduled for late May 2014. A portal release bulletin will be
distributed to HSO coordinators prior to the release.
Use of Electronic Signatures: We have had questions regarding the use of electronic/scanned
signatures and stamps on the Medical Certificate Form (or other). Electronic signatures and
stamps are acceptable, as long as a printed copy of the document with the electronic signature
or stamp is kept on the client file.
Recording consent for return vouchers: Clients must provide consent before a return
voucher is requested through the online portal. Status: How you document a client’s consent is
a business decision, you must be able to show evidence that you obtained client consent to
process a return voucher for the client. Please ensure your staff are aware of your business
processes for documenting consent.
Delays in receiving client files: We are aware that some contracted service providers have
experienced delays in receiving client files when a transfer is requested in the online portal. This
may be due to the head office address listed in the email request, or the email lists the address
of a visiting site. Status: You are asked to ensure your site email addresses are up to date. The
Office is exploring options to provide service contracted service providers with a postal address
as an addition for each site, to distinguish the mail address for files to be sent to, rather than the
physical address. We will keep you updated on this.
Centrelink/Medicare outages: Have an impact on the availability of a number of features
within the online portal including eligibility checking and application processing. There is also
likely to be impacts on claiming. The Office will notify you if we are advised of a Centrelink
and/or Medicare outage.
Public website announcement: the Office is currently undertaking preparations to support the
public website announcement.
Office of Hearing Services
www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au
2
Previously identified issues
Website address: Contracted service providers were previously advised to access the website
and portal via hearingservices.gov.au. You should now be accessing the website and portal via
www.hearingservices.gov.au
Site fax numbers: You are unable to add or amend your site fax details. Status: The Office is
currently reviewing this issue.
User name visibility: When using Firefox, users will not be able to see their name on the top
right hand side of the screen when the window is resized. Status: This is an ongoing issue that
cannot be fixed in Firefox.
Complex Client Status (Eligibility for specialist hearing services): The complex client status
appears on the client details screen. There was confusion over how the status was displayed.
Status: This issue was resolved in the 28 March 2014 release and the status is now clearly
shown.
Mismatched information: A number of portal users have reported not being able to find client
records or perform eligibility checks for some clients. This was usually due to mismatches in
client information held by Centrelink/DVA etc and the information being entered into the portal.
There were also a number of issues where incorrect characters were being entered which
prevented a match occurring. Status: The issue with incorrect characters being entered has
been resolved in the 28 March 2014 release and you will receive an error message if you try to
enter these characters. If you are unable to find a match, your client will need to contact
Centrelink
User roles: If you change the roles assigned to a user, it will take up to 20 minutes for this to be
processed by the system. Status: This will be an ongoing issue for all users.
For information
The following information and tips are provided in response to common questions and enquiries
we are receiving from contracted service providers.
Client, Contracted Service Provider and Site Relationship
 When the online portal was released, clients were linked to a contracted service provider
based on the last clinical claim date on the most current voucher for that client. This linkage
was done to prevent contracted service providers having to manually link each client to their
business. This means there are some clients not attached to the correct contracted service
provider. The transition period has provided time for contracted service providers to amend
any incorrect records, when they hold the client’s file and the client has not requested a
transfer.
 When logging in, each portal user has the option to select which site they are working from.
 When a contracted service provider completes an application on behalf of a client or edits a
client’s details, a relationship is established in the portal between the contracted service
provider and the client. If the application was completed when the portal user was logged in
at a site, the relationship will be established between the client and the site.
 If you logged in as a non-service site, the client and site relationship will not be created or
modified.
Client Searches
 Please ensure that staff are correctly searching for clients. You will need an exact match on
the eligibility number eg Centrelink CRN or DVA Gold Card number, given name, family
name, and date of birth.
 If the client is not linked to your organisation, you must have the client’s consent to transfer
the client to your business and for you to access their record.
Office of Hearing Services
www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au
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 When searching for clients already linked to your business you can search using the client’s
voucher number. The full voucher number, including the date of the current voucher must be
entered. For example: 123456789A-17102013.
Client Transfers
 There will continue to be unattached clients and instances where clients are not correctly
linked to the contracted service provider who holds the client file.
 Please review the client transfer fact sheet available on the HSO project page of the website.
 Contracted service providers were provided an opportunity to correct any client transfers
during the transition period. Transfers should only be completed at the request of a client.
 If you have any issues with a transfer, please contact the respective contracted service
provider involved or email hearing@health.gov.au.
Client Transfer Emails
 When a contracted service provider transfers a client in the portal, the contracted service
provider, who had the existing relationship with the client, will automatically receive an email.
Please note that the requesting contracted service provider will not receive an email
notification.
 You must update your site email addresses to ensure that files are sent to the correct
address when you request a client transfer.
 If there is no link between the client and a site, for example if you logged in as a non-service
site, the head office or contracted service provider address will be listed in the client transfer.
Site management
 If your site moves physical address, you must close the existing site and open a new site in
the online portal. This will allow you to confirm that the new site location meets the
requirements of clause 11 of the contract.
 In the instance of typographical error, the Office may assist you in editing a site address.
 Please ensure you validate the address with the address checker so that the site is correctly
mapped in the online Local Provider Directory.
Website and portal access
 All portal users must access the website via www.hearingservices.gov.au and click on the
Provider Portal link at the top right hand corner of the page.
 We have had some instances where people are using the training environment to process
records. The training environment has a yellow background and is labelled training
environment.
 Please ensure that people accessing the training environment
(acc.hearingservices.gov.au) are doing so for training purposes only.
 To access the online portal you must be added as a new user by someone in your business
and the user must have obtained an AUSkey.
 Currently, only the Office can add the SP Admin user role to a user’s profile. If an
organisation wishes to add an SP Admin role to a user profile you will need to email the
Office at hearing@health.gov.au
 The request must be from an existing SP Admin or the authorised contract holder from your
organisation. The email should include the contracted service provider name, given name,
family name and email address of the new SP Admin. The Office is currently exploring
options to allow SP Admins to add and revoke SP admin roles from a user profile.
 The user role fact sheet is available for download from the HSO Project Page on the website
Last Updated:2 June 2014
Office of Hearing Services
www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au