Health fund, HICAPS, Medicare and NDIS claims in clinic ads in Australia
What a dentist, physio or NDIS provider can say on a website or in an ad about health fund rebates, on-the-spot claiming, Medicare and NDIS funding, with the source for each rule.
On this page
A clinic or NDIS provider can state facts that are true, such as that on-the-spot claiming is available or that it is a registered NDIS provider. It cannot say a service is free when Medicare or a fund pays, say NDIS approved, or suggest an NDIS or Medicare relationship it does not have. The table below sets out each claim, the rule and its source, as at November 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.
For how we run these ads, see Google Ads for dentists, Google Ads for physios and Google Ads for NDIS providers.
What can a clinic or NDIS provider say about funding?
Funding claims sit under several regulators. Ahpra covers advertising a regulated health service, the NDIA covers NDIS wording and logos, Services Australia protects the Medicare brand, and the ACCC enforces the Australian Consumer Law across all of them.
| Claim on the website or ad | Allowed? | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| "NDIS approved" | No | The NDIA does not endorse or approve any product or service. Businesses using this wording are likely breaching the Australian Consumer Law | NDIA, December 2025 |
| "100% NDIS funded" or "NDIS permitted" | No | Same notice. Providers should also not state or imply a service will be covered in all cases, or that NDIS funding is guaranteed | NDIS logo guidelines |
| "Registered NDIS provider" | Only if registered | You may only advertise as a registered provider if registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission under section 73E of the NDIS Act. Do not use language such as official NDIS provider if you are not | NDIS logo guidelines |
| NDIS logo | Not without written consent | The logo and acronym are registered trade marks in the NDIA's name | NDIS logo guidelines |
| "I/we heart NDIS" with "Registered Provider" | Registered providers only | Unregistered providers must not use these logos | NDIS logo guidelines |
| "NDIS" in a business name, trading name or domain name | Avoid | The NDIA gives these as examples of misleading statements of affiliation, as is "NDIS packages" or "NDIS bundles" as a product name | NDIS logo guidelines |
| "Free" because Medicare or a fund pays | No | The public generally takes free to mean absolutely free. A cost recouped through Medicare or a price rise is not free | Ahpra advertising guidelines |
| Discount or gift offer | Only with terms | A regulated health service advertisement offering a gift, discount or inducement must state the terms and conditions | Ahpra advertising guidelines |
| Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage or tiles | Participating practices only | The materials are for practices currently in the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program | Department of Health |
| Medicare name or logo | Take care | Services Australia says its names and symbols, including Medicare, are protected, and unauthorised use may breach the law | Services Australia |
| "We accept HICAPS" or "claim your fund rebate on the spot" | Yes, if true | We found no regulator rule against stating this fact. Keep the claim to what your terminal and funds actually support | None found |
| "Preferred provider" for a named fund | Only if true | We found no rule specific to this wording. The Australian Consumer Law bans misleading claims, and the ACCC has reported on preferred provider arrangements and misleading fund advertising | ACCC private health report |
Can an unregistered NDIS provider advertise on the website?
Yes. The NDIA's guidance restricts particular wording and logos and does not stop an unregistered provider describing the supports it delivers, provided the description is true. An unregistered provider must not call itself a registered provider, use the registered-provider logos or imply an affiliation with the NDIA. Our NDIS pages cover the site structure for registered and unregistered providers, including support worker agencies and allied health.
What does "free" mean in a clinic ad?
It means absolutely free. Ahpra says the public generally takes the word free to mean absolutely free, and gives the example of a "book one, get one free" offer that raises the price of the first consultation to cover the second. It says the same where the cost is recouped through Medicare or other sources. A discount for a regulated health service must also state its terms and conditions, in plain language, or point to where they are. A clinic that wants to advertise a bulk-billed service can say it is bulk-billed, rather than free, if that is the fact.
Which health fund and HICAPS wording do we avoid?
We avoid any claim about what a fund will pay, because the rebate depends on the patient's cover. Facts about the practice are safe: which funds' members can claim on the spot, whether the practice is a preferred provider for a fund and which funds' logos the practice has permission to use. Add a line that patients should confirm their cover with their fund before treatment. The same approach sits behind the wording on our SEO for dentists page.
We did not find an Ahpra, ACCC or fund rule that names HICAPS specifically. That is not proof there is none, and the practice's agreement with each fund may include its own terms on how the fund's name and logo are used.
What we've seen across our client sites
We have no dental, physio or NDIS client whose results we can quote here. What we do see on the sites we run is that status claims get copied between pages and go stale, so a claim true at launch can be wrong a year later. Treat the funding wording on your site as something to review whenever a fund, a scheme or your registration changes.
How do I check my own claims?
- Search the site, the Business Profile and every ad for "NDIS", "Medicare", "HICAPS", "free", "rebate", "approved" and "preferred".
- For each hit, find the rule in the table and confirm the claim is true today.
- Confirm your NDIS registration status in writing before using registered-provider wording.
- Check you have written permission for any NDIS, Medicare or fund logo.
- Put terms and conditions on a linked page for every discount.
- Ask any agency to show you the final wording before it goes live, because you answer for it.
Reviews and testimonials are covered in AHPRA rules on Google reviews and ad claims. Your tracking setup also needs care on a health site, as set out in what your privacy policy must say if you run Google Ads, GA4 or a Meta pixel.
Common questions
- Can I say NDIS approved on my website?
- No. The NDIA does not endorse or approve any product or service, and says businesses promoting their offerings as NDIS approved, NDIS permitted or 100% NDIS funded are likely breaching the Australian Consumer Law.
- Can an unregistered NDIS provider advertise as a registered provider?
- No. You may only advertise as a registered provider if you are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. An unregistered provider must not use that wording, or language such as official NDIS provider, that falsely suggests registration.
- Can I use the NDIS logo on my website?
- Not without written consent from the NDIA. The logo and acronym are registered trade marks. Registered providers may use the I/we heart NDIS and I/we support NDIS logos with the Registered Provider tagline, and unregistered providers may not.
- Can a physio say they accept HICAPS or health fund claims?
- We found no regulator rule that stops a practice stating a fact such as on-the-spot claiming is available, if it is true. A claim about what a fund will pay must not mislead, and the Ahpra rules on free offers and discounts still apply.
- Can a clinic say a service is free because Medicare or a health fund pays?
- Not safely. Ahpra says the public generally takes free to mean absolutely free, and that an offer whose cost is recouped through a price rise elsewhere or through sources such as Medicare is not actually free.
- Can a clinic use the Medicare logo or the Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage?
- The signage is for practices taking part in the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program. Services Australia also says its brands, including Medicare, are protected and that unauthorised use may breach the law.
- Who is responsible if my marketing agency writes the claim?
- The advertiser. For a regulated health service, Ahpra says the advertiser is responsible for the advertising, including content published by a third party or marketing agency on their behalf.
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