Is the information from the patient record anonymous?
No. The Medicare fact sheet says letters of demand will not identify patients by name. But doctors know patients by name – not by Medicare number so the present practice is that Medicare has to tell the provider your name, having retrieved that information from the linkage to your Medicare number. Irrespective of what appears on the letter of demand, the Medicare officer will look at your private health details if your doctor has to provide that information in order to verify Medicare payments you have received.
