MBS@Gov is a new and user-friendly billing system which allows private clinics to submit the medical bills of civil servants, pensioners and their dependants to the government. Private medical practitioners will receive consolidated payments for the government share of the medical bills.
Q2: Is the Chronic Disease Management Programme linked to MBS@Gov ?
No, these are two separate schemes. MBS@Gov is only available to civil servants and their dependants.
Q3: How long is this pilot phase ?
It will be about 2 to 3 months long
Q4: Is there any audit check by the government ?
All government transactions are subject to audit done by the Auditor’s General Office. The government might check on the relevant documents of the bills submitted if required
Participation Enquiries
Q5:Are there any costs to use MBS@Gov?
No, the system is provided free of charge
Q6: What are the requirements to sign up for the scheme?
There are no special requirements. All you need is a personal computer/laptop with internet access.
Q7: Who can participate in the new billing arrangement via MBS@Gov?
The new billing arrangement is open to all clinics. However, we have about 100 clinics for our pilot phase. Interested clinics can still send in their application forms to AGD to participate in this new arrangement. We will include the other clinics once we move on to the next phase of this project.
Q8: Is there any deadline for participation?
There is no deadline for participation. Clinics can sign up for the scheme at any time.
Eligibility Enquiries
Q9: How do I identify the eligibility of a patient ?
You can simply key in the patient’s NRIC number in the system to check the eligibility of your patients. You are strongly encouraged to verify the eligibility of every patient.
Q10: How can I identify that the patient is a civil servant or dependant ?
The patient should display his/her Public Service card or civil service card to differentiate himself as civil servant or dependant for the clinic to verify the eligibility of the patient online. If he/she is not able to produce these two cards, the clinic can also rely on the NRIC or any other document that has a photo of the patient on it. Below are samples of the Public Service Card and Civil Service Card.
Public Service Card
Civil Service Card
Payment Enquiries
Q11: When are we required to submit the bill to MBS@Gov for reimbursement ?
You should submit the receipts at the point of the visit. However, you are allowed to submit the receipts up till one month from the date of visit. You will not be able to submit receipts which are more than one month from the date of visits.
Q12: How often will the medical bills be reimbursed ?
The medical bills will be reimbursed weekly. Bills that are submitted by Tuesday will be paid on Friday of the same week. Should a Public Holiday fall on Thursday or Friday, the bills will be paid on the following working day.
Q13: How do I know whether the bills have been reimbursed ?
You can check the status of the bills using the bill inquiry function of MBS@Gov. You can download the user guide at www.mbs.gov.sg under "User Guide" for a step-by-step guide on how to do so.
Q14: Will I receive any remittance advice to inform me about the payment ?
Yes, you will receive a remittance advice via email, fax or hardcopy mail whenever there is a payment made to your clinic
Q15: How do I print and keep track of the bills submitted ?
You can view the bills submitted under the Medical Bills Inquiry and you can also print out the consolidated payment in an excel spreadsheet.
Q16: How can I change my clinic’s bank account ?
Existing private medical practitioners can make use of the MBS@Gov application form to change their bank account particulars. You can send the completed form to Accountant-General’s Department at 100 High Street #06-01, The Treasury, Singapore 179434.
Q17: If I have more than one clinic, can the payments be made to different bank accounts ?
Yes, payments will be credited to the bank account that is specified for each clinic.
Clinic Operations-Related Enquiries
Q18: How can I allow my staff to access MBS@Gov ?
First, you should ensure that your clinic staff has a SingPass. Application for SingPass can be done at the CPF website at www.cpf.gov.sg. Once the clinic staff has a SingPass, you can then submit the completed Access Authorisation Form to us. We will inform you once access is given and your clinic staff can access the system through the SingPass option. You can download a copy of the Access Authorisation Form at our website www.mbs.gov.sg.
Q19: If I do not wish to log on to check the eligibility status of the patient immediately, can I submit the bills subsequently ?
You are strongly encouraged to check for the eligibility of every civil servant or dependant and not solely depending on their Public Service Card or Civil Service Card. However, if you do not wish to check the eligibility status of the patient, you can note down the patient’s particular and submit the bill later or you can perform a batch submission. For details on how to do batch submission, please refer to the MBS@Gov user guide. However, the government will not reimburse you if the patient is not eligible for medical subsidies.
Q20: What should be the amount that I key into the receipt amount field in MBS@Gov ?
You should key in the entire amount of the receipt which you are billing the patient. MBS@Gov will prompt you on how much to collect from the patient and the government will co-pay the remaining amount.
Q21: How do we indicate on the receipts that a bill has been submitted ?
You have to stamp on the receipts issued to patients to indicate that the Government’s share has been billed to the Government directly.
Q22: What should I record as the receipt amount on the receipt ?
You should record the full amount of the consultation and medical bill on your clinic receipt to the patient.
Q23: Do I still need to issue the receipt to my patients if I have submitted their claims via MBS@Gov ?
Yes, this will allow the patients to track their visit records and they can refer to the receipt should any disputes arise.
Q24: If the patient loses his receipt and request for a duplicate receipt for his reference, what should I do ?
If you issue a duplicate receipt, you should not submit this receipt subsequently in MBS@Gov if you have submitted an earlier bill through MBS@Gov for the government’s payment.
Q25: How long can i refer to the receipts submitted in MBS@Gov ?
We keep the information in MBS@Gov up to two months. You should constantly print or save a copy for your reference if necessary.
Q26: What if I key in a wrong NRIC number and another civil servant record was shown ?
You should ensure that all data entry is done correctly and check that the name of the patient in your clinic records corresponds with the name in MBS@Gov. You should not be submitting bills for another civil servant.
Q27: If the patient is not a civil servant or dependant, do I have to submit the bill via MBS@Gov ?
No, you do not submit the bill in MBS@Gov.
Q28: How can I reconcile my receipt amount with the cash that I have collected now that civil servants and their dependants only pay their share upfront ?
You can download a summary of the bills that have been submitted each day and it would indicate the government’s co-payment to your clinic. You can then perform the reconciliation with your cash register.
Q29: What does the following error mean ?
Error message 1: Patient record cannot be found. Please make sure the NRIC is keyed correctly. E.g. S1234567E.
This means that the patient is not eligible for medical subsidy as his record is not found in the database or user may have keyed in a wrong NRIC, hence record cannot be found.
Error message 2: Patient has reached the maximum medical capping. Not eligible for medical subsidy.
This means that the patient has used up the medical subsidy for the year, hence he is not entitled further subsidy.
Error message 3: Receipt does not fall within the eligible submission period.
This means that the receipt has exceeded the 1 month submission period, hence the general practitioner cannot submit the receipt for reimbursement.
All receipts have to be submitted within a month since the date of consultation.
Medical Enquiries
Q30: What is the subsidy amount for the Civil servants, Pensioners and Dependants ?
The subsidy will be computed by the system, depending on the receipt amount and the medical scheme of the patient.
Q31: Are there any items that are not covered under this scheme ?
Yes. Below is a list of non-subsidised items under the Medical Benefits Schemes.
1. Medical Investigations/Tests/Treatments e.g.
• Accouchement and delivery fees
• Assisted conception procedures
• Sex reassignment
• Ligation/sterilisation
• Abortion
• Cosmetic surgery
• Circumcision
2. Health Screening (for diagnostic purposes will be claimable) e.g.
• Multi-phasic health screening
• Thalassemia screening
• Cytological cervical smear
• Mammogram screening
• HIV screening
• Hepatitis screening
3. Vaccinations e.g.
• Hepatitis injections
• Child immunizations
• Personal travel-related vaccinations, e.g. malaria, dysentery, flu/fever etc
4. Medical Equipment/Aids e.g.
• Wheelchairs
• Walking aids
• Joint braces
• Blood pressure monitor
• Kidney dialysis machine
• CPAP machine
• Glucometer
• Crutches (Claimable if for in-patient use)
• Hearing aids/Cochlear implants (Claimable if for in-patient use)
5. Items Not Related to Medical Treatment, e.g.
• Child Developmental Assessments
• Diet Counselling not arising from a medical condition
• Non-Medical items e.g. TV rentals, telephone charges
• Medical Reports and Hospital Admin Charges
6. Drugs/Medications/Products
(A) The following items are strictly not claimable:
• Retail items i.e non-formulary1 and off-the-shelf
items
• Branded drugs where non-branded generic drugs are
available
• Medical consumables for homecare (e.g. dressings,
stoma appliances,
catheters, diapers, urine bags)
• Lifestyle drugs for non-medical conditions (e.g.
weight management,
smoking cessation, erectile dysfunction,
family-planning, fertility, hair loss)
• Drugs and products for cosmetic treatment
• Feeds (e.g. milk products and food thickeners)
• Vitamins and Health Supplements unless it is in the
hospital/institution formulary2 list
(B) However some drugs can be claimable if the following conditions
are met:
1. Prescribed by the doctor as necessary for diagnosis
or treatment; and
2. Standard drug/treatment not available or suitable
for diagnosis/treatment.
The above list is subject to changes from time to time.
1. This refers to drugs not in the approved drug list of hospital/institution.
2. This refers to the approved drug list of hospital/institution.
Patient-related Enquiries
Q32: Who are entitled for the medical subsidy ?
Civil servants and their dependants are entitled for the medical subsidy. Please note that Statutory Boards officers are not covered under this arrangement currently. However, GPs should still ensure that the patient is eligible by verifying the entitlement via MBS@Gov at all times.
Q33: Are civil servants allowed to visit other clinics that are not under the MBS@Gov scheme and still claim through manual receipts ?
Yes, they can. However with MBS@Gov, they can enjoy the convenience at those selected clinics.
Q34: Is there a restriction on the number of consultations a civil servant can seek from a clinic in a day ?
There is no restriction on the number of consultation a civil servant can seek from a clinic in a day. However, the clinic should issue a unique receipt for each consultation.
Q35: Does a civil servant know how much medical subsidy he is entitled to for each visit ?
The civil servant should know the medical subsidy amount that he is entitled. However, clinics are still strongly encouraged to check the eligibility of the patient for the amount that the patient is required to pay upfront.
Q36: Are the civil servants aware of this new billing arrangement ?
Yes. All civil servants have been informed of the new arrangement as well as the participating clinics. In order to allow civil servants to identify the participating clinics easily, you have to display the stickers issued.
Q37: Can a civil servant collect the medicine on behalf of their dependant ?
As long as the civil servant can display the relevant identification paper for their dependant, they can collect the medicine.
Q38: Are government pensioners involved in the new billing arrangement ?
Government pensioners are also entitled to medical subsidy under their medical schemes. However, they are not participating in the pilot phase .
System Access Enquiries
Q39: How can I login to the MBS@Gov ?
You can login to MBS@Gov either through SingPass or the User ID and password issued by AGD.
Q40: My clinic plans to apply for Internet Access in 1 to 2 months time, can I apply for the MBS@Gov first ?
Yes, you can access the website and make use of MBS@Gov when your internet access is up.
Q41: Who do I contact if I have any problems with the system ?
Q42: What happen when MBS@Gov is unavailable and I cannot check the eligibility of the patient?
If MBS@Gov is unavailable, you can rely on the patient's PS Card or Civil Service Card to identify eligible patients. Please take note of the bill details and the time of the system downtime. You can then submit the bills once MBS@Gov is available.
Q43: I am operating in a 24-hours clinic. Can I access the system 24 hours ?
MBS@Gov is available 24 hours daily and you will be able to access it. However, system performance might be slightly affected during system maintenance usually scheduled between 12 a.m to 6 a.m.
