OUR POSTS

In the Media and Articles

Two email signature blocks side by side. The wrong one reads Practice Manager, Good Health Medical Centre. The right one reads Administrator for Dr Jane Smith with the doctor's provider number.

Your doctors’ advertising could decide who wears the next negligence or any other claim, and the taxman with it

A practice manager email address pulled one of our clients into a patient complaint that had nothing to do with them. The same paperwork decides whether you pay payroll tax. Here is the 24 point audit we now run on every practice.
Read More

First principles: paying practitioners on receipts (it is a little more complicated than you think).

A practice manager asked David Dahm for a cheat sheet. This is it. Use it as a guide for your
Read More

Are you better off private billing?

Are you better off private billing? | Health and Life Health and Life Insights Are you better off private billing?
Read More

The AoB compliance trap: why 99% is not enough, and why bulk billing will collapse within 12 months

The 1 July 2026 AoB changes may make bulk billing unworkable. Practical guide to the compliance cost, workflow trap, and strategic options for practices.
Read More

Bulk bill or bill privately? The AoB changes just made the choice for you.

The Government has given you 12 months of breathing room on Assignment of Benefit. Here is what changes for your practice, who is sorted permanently and who is not, and why the 12-month reprieve is a window to get your billing model and BBPIP position right, not a reason to wait.
Read More

No Captured Consent, No Bulk Bill From 1 July 2026

Four regulatory changes hit Australian medical practices on the same day. Most are not ready. David Dahm on the 1 July 2026 bulk-billing consent reforms and the structural test underneath every practice.
Read More

The Price of Your Practice: Why Bulk Billing, Tax Risk, and Regulatory Gaps Cost Everyone More

The Price of Your Practice: Why Bulk Billing, Tax Risk, and Regulatory Gaps Cost Everyone More | Health & Life
Read More

Thank You to Our Clients, Staff and Readers: Here’s the 2026 GP and Healthcare Survival Guide You Helped Create

Dear valued clients, staff and friends, Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyful, prosperous 2026.​ Please note: Our office
Read More

Patients Survive, Practices Die: How “Free” GP Visits Are Killing Choice and Driving Gaps Up

In a profession where many GPs have traditionally wanted to work independently and shape their own style of care, “Mars
Read More

Doctors on the ATO’s Radar: Income Splitting Warning and Practical Steps to Protect Yourself

The ATO crackdown is real, and high-income professionals targeting doctors and allied health using trusts, companies, or partnerships to split
Read More

When Patients Survive but Practices Die: The Unhealthy Business Model of Bulk Billing

When Patients Survive but Practices Die: The Unhealthy Business Model of Bulk Billing An unhealthy business model is one in
Read More

Managed Care by Stealth Set Your Medical Fees the Right Way!

In the public’s interest, I write this article. I want to thank Lukasz Wyszynski from Hamilton Bailey Lawyers and Steven
Read More

GP Clinics: Prevent Terminal Cash and Tax Fraud & Simplify Banking Reconciliation

GP Clinics: Prevent Terminal Cash and Tax Fraud & Simplify Banking Reconciliation Edited: Update 10 July 2026 The problem Given
Read More

Sky-High Patient Fee Hike Notices Tied to Poor Legal and Tax Advice May Trigger an Audit

Sky-High Patient Fee Hike Notices Tied to Poor Legal and Tax Advice May Trigger an Audit Issuing collective fee notices,
Read More

Invisible Clinics: The Missing Link in Australia’s Medical and Tax Regulation

Invisible Clinics: The Missing Link in Australia’s Medical and Tax Regulation I have always supported reducing red tape, but the
Read More

A Genuine Tenant DoctorTM Arrangement Attracts No Payroll Tax: No Requirement for Bulk Billing

A Genuine Tenant DoctorTM Arrangement Attracts No Payroll Tax: No Requirement for Bulk Billing This is a 2025 GP, Medical
Read More

Uber Billion-Dollar Tech Giant Crumbles Under Payroll Tax Decision —Why Medical and Healthcare Still Have an Escape Route: 7 key takeaways and tips 

Edited 4 August 2025 How you run your practice matters Even a billion-dollar tech company cannot beat the payroll tax;
Read More

What Does a Genuine Tenant Doctor Model Look Like—Payroll Tax and Superannuation Guarantee-Free?

The business case for ensuring you are a genuine Tenant DoctorTM and not a deemed employee-like contractor “The absolute worst case
Read More

Payroll and Income Contractor Liability: How You Publicly Identify Now Matters 

LPayroll and Income Contractor Liability: Why Accurate Classification Is Crucial Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the
Read More

Safer and Effective Tax Strategies for Medical Practices: Recent Court Decisions Revisiting Service Trust Fees

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Systematic Erosion of Access to High-Quality GP Care: Medicare Modeling Highlights $8.5 Billion in Concerns

As a national medical and healthcare chartered accountant following a serious work related car accident in 1989, I have dedicated
Read More

ATO’s Tax Rules Hurts Affordable Continuity of Care for Subcontractor Medical and Healthcare Practitioners

ATO’s Tax Rules Hurts Affordable Continuity of Care for Subcontractor Medical and Healthcare Practitioners Implications of the Draft Personal Services
Read More

Changing a practitioner’s bank account is tax avoidance?!

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Breaking: ATO’s New Rules on Employee vs. Contractor – What You Need to Know!

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Paying payroll tax may do more harm than good

Edited” 21 July 2024 Paying payroll tax may seem like a straightforward compliance issue for medical practices, but it can
Read More

Health and Life’s Payroll and Income Tax Top Three Tips for medical and healthcare practitioners

Health and Life’s Payroll and Income Tax Top Three Tips for medical and healthcare practitioners  Top Three Tips – Understand
Read More

Why did my “Medical Practice” that qualified for the Payroll Tax Amnesty just received a substantial payroll tax bill?!

In the last few months, Queensland (QLD) and South Australia (SA) Payroll Tax Assessment Letters were issued to “Medical Practices
Read More

Tenant Doctors: Critical banking tips for protecting yourself from not getting paid correctly for weeks or months or at all!

Can you afford to live weeks, months without pay? What happens if my “Medical Centre” goes bankrupt and they take
Read More

Understanding the difference between a “Tenant Doctor” and an “Independent Contractor” for tax compliance is critical.

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference.  Click
Read More

Payroll Tax: The Flow of Separate “Banking” Funds Myth Busted?!

Gp Medical & Healthcare Payroll Tax: The Flow Of Separate “Banking” Funds Myth Busted And More… Many practitioners, practices, and
Read More

The ATO’s new Mandatory reporting targets unethical accountants and you

Accountants’ second opinions will become more challenging from 1st July 2024 The ATO’s new Mandatory reporting standards target unethical accountants,
Read More

Happy Summer break: A Brothel Owner, A Buddhist And A GP Practice Owner Walk Into A Bar…

Welcome Happy Summer break: A Brothel Owner, ABuddhist And A GP Practice Owner WalkInto A Bar… We hope everyone enjoys
Read More

Medical and healthcare payroll tax is killing bulk billing, where to from here? 

Payroll tax myths busted! The latest Australian news headline best summarises how doctors are feeling.  Payroll tax, is only a
Read More

The GP Payroll Tax Amnesty: protection or just a clever fishing expedition?

Edit: Reference to this article appeared in Revenue SA invites you to go tax yourself, The Medical Republic, 2nd July 2023 edition.
Read More

Practice Managers you are on notice!: “Medical Centre” Payroll Tax and Federal Court  Ruling targets how you run your practice! 

No patient “Sick Tax” Fee needed! Must Read Landmark Payroll Tax Ruling:Direct GP Banking comes with “tricky” conditions “An incredible breakthrough”
Read More

1st July 2023 5.75% Award and 11% Super pay rise or freeze?!

    Unprecedented Cost Blow Out    Source: Rebate freezes have ripped $3.8bn out of Medicare, The Australian March 2023
Read More

Wild Health National Leader Summit: What does it take to build patient, provider, and community trust? 

It was excellent to meet many world-class thinkers, doers, and past, present, and future leaders in healthcare at the revolutionary
Read More

Is your practice putting your contractor’s ABN & GST registration at risk of cancellation or a tax audit?

Safely recruit and retain more practitioners. Legally protect everyone’s livelihood (including your advisers) from a contagious tax audit. Do not
Read More

For taxation and medico-legal reasons, advertising your practice as a “Medical Centre” or “Clinic”or “Practice” may be a bad idea.

According to the latest tax rulings for taxation and medico-legal reasons, naming your practice a “Medical Centre” or “Clinic”or “Practice”
Read More

Worried about the ATO Safe Harbour Employee or Contractor rules? Choose the right advice for your medical or healthcare practice in two simple steps

Before you blow your dough: Questions you need to ask in writing from your tax lawyer and accountant The latest
Read More
Two email signature blocks side by side. The wrong one reads Practice Manager, Good Health Medical Centre. The right one reads Administrator for Dr Jane Smith with the doctor's provider number.

Your doctors’ advertising could decide who wears the next negligence or any other claim, and the taxman with it

A practice manager email address pulled one of our clients into a patient complaint that had nothing to do with them. The same paperwork decides whether you pay payroll tax. Here is the 24 point audit we now run on every practice.
Read More

First principles: paying practitioners on receipts (it is a little more complicated than you think).

A practice manager asked David Dahm for a cheat sheet. This is it. Use it as a guide for your
Read More

Are you better off private billing?

Are you better off private billing? | Health and Life Health and Life Insights Are you better off private billing?
Read More

The AoB compliance trap: why 99% is not enough, and why bulk billing will collapse within 12 months

The 1 July 2026 AoB changes may make bulk billing unworkable. Practical guide to the compliance cost, workflow trap, and strategic options for practices.
Read More

Bulk bill or bill privately? The AoB changes just made the choice for you.

The Government has given you 12 months of breathing room on Assignment of Benefit. Here is what changes for your practice, who is sorted permanently and who is not, and why the 12-month reprieve is a window to get your billing model and BBPIP position right, not a reason to wait.
Read More

No Captured Consent, No Bulk Bill From 1 July 2026

Four regulatory changes hit Australian medical practices on the same day. Most are not ready. David Dahm on the 1 July 2026 bulk-billing consent reforms and the structural test underneath every practice.
Read More

The Price of Your Practice: Why Bulk Billing, Tax Risk, and Regulatory Gaps Cost Everyone More

The Price of Your Practice: Why Bulk Billing, Tax Risk, and Regulatory Gaps Cost Everyone More | Health & Life
Read More

Thank You to Our Clients, Staff and Readers: Here’s the 2026 GP and Healthcare Survival Guide You Helped Create

Dear valued clients, staff and friends, Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyful, prosperous 2026.​ Please note: Our office
Read More

Patients Survive, Practices Die: How “Free” GP Visits Are Killing Choice and Driving Gaps Up

In a profession where many GPs have traditionally wanted to work independently and shape their own style of care, “Mars
Read More

Doctors on the ATO’s Radar: Income Splitting Warning and Practical Steps to Protect Yourself

The ATO crackdown is real, and high-income professionals targeting doctors and allied health using trusts, companies, or partnerships to split
Read More

When Patients Survive but Practices Die: The Unhealthy Business Model of Bulk Billing

When Patients Survive but Practices Die: The Unhealthy Business Model of Bulk Billing An unhealthy business model is one in
Read More

Managed Care by Stealth Set Your Medical Fees the Right Way!

In the public’s interest, I write this article. I want to thank Lukasz Wyszynski from Hamilton Bailey Lawyers and Steven
Read More

GP Clinics: Prevent Terminal Cash and Tax Fraud & Simplify Banking Reconciliation

GP Clinics: Prevent Terminal Cash and Tax Fraud & Simplify Banking Reconciliation Edited: Update 10 July 2026 The problem Given
Read More

Sky-High Patient Fee Hike Notices Tied to Poor Legal and Tax Advice May Trigger an Audit

Sky-High Patient Fee Hike Notices Tied to Poor Legal and Tax Advice May Trigger an Audit Issuing collective fee notices,
Read More

Invisible Clinics: The Missing Link in Australia’s Medical and Tax Regulation

Invisible Clinics: The Missing Link in Australia’s Medical and Tax Regulation I have always supported reducing red tape, but the
Read More

A Genuine Tenant DoctorTM Arrangement Attracts No Payroll Tax: No Requirement for Bulk Billing

A Genuine Tenant DoctorTM Arrangement Attracts No Payroll Tax: No Requirement for Bulk Billing This is a 2025 GP, Medical
Read More

Uber Billion-Dollar Tech Giant Crumbles Under Payroll Tax Decision —Why Medical and Healthcare Still Have an Escape Route: 7 key takeaways and tips 

Edited 4 August 2025 How you run your practice matters Even a billion-dollar tech company cannot beat the payroll tax;
Read More

What Does a Genuine Tenant Doctor Model Look Like—Payroll Tax and Superannuation Guarantee-Free?

The business case for ensuring you are a genuine Tenant DoctorTM and not a deemed employee-like contractor “The absolute worst case
Read More

Payroll and Income Contractor Liability: How You Publicly Identify Now Matters 

LPayroll and Income Contractor Liability: Why Accurate Classification Is Crucial Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the
Read More

Safer and Effective Tax Strategies for Medical Practices: Recent Court Decisions Revisiting Service Trust Fees

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Systematic Erosion of Access to High-Quality GP Care: Medicare Modeling Highlights $8.5 Billion in Concerns

As a national medical and healthcare chartered accountant following a serious work related car accident in 1989, I have dedicated
Read More

ATO’s Tax Rules Hurts Affordable Continuity of Care for Subcontractor Medical and Healthcare Practitioners

ATO’s Tax Rules Hurts Affordable Continuity of Care for Subcontractor Medical and Healthcare Practitioners Implications of the Draft Personal Services
Read More

Changing a practitioner’s bank account is tax avoidance?!

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Breaking: ATO’s New Rules on Employee vs. Contractor – What You Need to Know!

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference. 
Read More

Paying payroll tax may do more harm than good

Edited” 21 July 2024 Paying payroll tax may seem like a straightforward compliance issue for medical practices, but it can
Read More

Health and Life’s Payroll and Income Tax Top Three Tips for medical and healthcare practitioners

Health and Life’s Payroll and Income Tax Top Three Tips for medical and healthcare practitioners  Top Three Tips – Understand
Read More

Why did my “Medical Practice” that qualified for the Payroll Tax Amnesty just received a substantial payroll tax bill?!

In the last few months, Queensland (QLD) and South Australia (SA) Payroll Tax Assessment Letters were issued to “Medical Practices
Read More

Tenant Doctors: Critical banking tips for protecting yourself from not getting paid correctly for weeks or months or at all!

Can you afford to live weeks, months without pay? What happens if my “Medical Centre” goes bankrupt and they take
Read More

Understanding the difference between a “Tenant Doctor” and an “Independent Contractor” for tax compliance is critical.

Edit 21 July 2025: We presented on this topic for the Royal Australian College of General Practice: Practice Owners Conference.  Click
Read More

Payroll Tax: The Flow of Separate “Banking” Funds Myth Busted?!

Gp Medical & Healthcare Payroll Tax: The Flow Of Separate “Banking” Funds Myth Busted And More… Many practitioners, practices, and
Read More

The ATO’s new Mandatory reporting targets unethical accountants and you

Accountants’ second opinions will become more challenging from 1st July 2024 The ATO’s new Mandatory reporting standards target unethical accountants,
Read More

Happy Summer break: A Brothel Owner, A Buddhist And A GP Practice Owner Walk Into A Bar…

Welcome Happy Summer break: A Brothel Owner, ABuddhist And A GP Practice Owner WalkInto A Bar… We hope everyone enjoys
Read More

Medical and healthcare payroll tax is killing bulk billing, where to from here? 

Payroll tax myths busted! The latest Australian news headline best summarises how doctors are feeling.  Payroll tax, is only a
Read More

The GP Payroll Tax Amnesty: protection or just a clever fishing expedition?

Edit: Reference to this article appeared in Revenue SA invites you to go tax yourself, The Medical Republic, 2nd July 2023 edition.
Read More

Practice Managers you are on notice!: “Medical Centre” Payroll Tax and Federal Court  Ruling targets how you run your practice! 

No patient “Sick Tax” Fee needed! Must Read Landmark Payroll Tax Ruling:Direct GP Banking comes with “tricky” conditions “An incredible breakthrough”
Read More

1st July 2023 5.75% Award and 11% Super pay rise or freeze?!

    Unprecedented Cost Blow Out    Source: Rebate freezes have ripped $3.8bn out of Medicare, The Australian March 2023
Read More

Wild Health National Leader Summit: What does it take to build patient, provider, and community trust? 

It was excellent to meet many world-class thinkers, doers, and past, present, and future leaders in healthcare at the revolutionary
Read More

Is your practice putting your contractor’s ABN & GST registration at risk of cancellation or a tax audit?

Safely recruit and retain more practitioners. Legally protect everyone’s livelihood (including your advisers) from a contagious tax audit. Do not
Read More

For taxation and medico-legal reasons, advertising your practice as a “Medical Centre” or “Clinic”or “Practice” may be a bad idea.

According to the latest tax rulings for taxation and medico-legal reasons, naming your practice a “Medical Centre” or “Clinic”or “Practice”
Read More

Worried about the ATO Safe Harbour Employee or Contractor rules? Choose the right advice for your medical or healthcare practice in two simple steps

Before you blow your dough: Questions you need to ask in writing from your tax lawyer and accountant The latest
Read More