In accordance with the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998, a medical scheme may only reimburse a member or a healthcare service provider directly for services rendered by a provider of service duly registered or licensed with the relevant government department or statutory council. In order to facilitate efficient commerce, a central repository of healthcare provider registration information has been developed over time by the medical scheme industry in the form of a Practice Code Numbering System (PCNS).
To obtain a practice number, it is required that the healthcare service provider be registered as an independent practitioner with the relevant statutory council, and that the healthcare service provider's scope of practice be recognised by the BHF. In addition to this, there is an application form to be completed (available on this website, or obtainable from our Client Services Division). This application form should be returned to our office by registered mail or overnight courier, together with your registration fee. Your registration should be renewed by the 31st of January of every new year.
It takes approximately 3 to 5 days for a practice number to be issued, provided that all the documentation we request accompanies your application form. Once this practice number has been issued, all medical schemes on the PCNS database are notified electronically.