A Medicare provider number is a unique identifier issued by Services Australia to a healthcare practitioner that authorises them to provide services subsidised under Medicare. Medicare provider numbers are practitioner-specific and location-specific, meaning a clinical practitioner has a separate provider number for each location at which they practise.
Medicare provider numbers do not transfer with a business sale. Where a practice is sold, each practitioner continuing at the practice must apply for a new provider number for the new ownership entity, which can take several weeks. This is a recurring operational issue in healthcare M&A and is typically managed via conditions precedent and transition services arrangements.