How to become a Credentialled Nuclear Medicine Specialist

  What is Credentialling  |  The Process  |  Step 1: Fellowship |  Step 2: Sourcing  |  Step 3: Credentialling | What’s Next  | AANMS Home

What is Credentialling?

Payment of Medicare benefits within Australia for nuclear medicine imaging services is limited to specialists or consultant physicians who are credentialled by the Committee for Joint College Training (CJCT) of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR).

The scheme was developed by the profession in consultation with Government to ensure that specialists in nuclear medicine are appropriately trained and licensed, provide appropriate supervision of procedures and are involved in ongoing continuing medical education.

“Credentialling” is the process of gathering all of the documentation needed to provide to Medicare to become a “Credentialed Nuclear Medicine Specialist”.

If a Nuclear Medicine Specialist does not need to use the Medicare benefit numbers within nuclear imaging services, the Nuclear Medicine Specialist does NOT need to undertake Credentialling.

The Credentialling Process

The following diagram highlights the key stages of the Credentialling Process, while the rest of this page goes into detail about each of these stages.  Links to websites/forms and estimated timelines are provided as a guide and are checked periodically by AANMS (current update Sept 2024).  However, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are using the correct forms, and it is encouraged that you speak to each organisation to determine the most relevant turnaround times for your submission.

The majority of the Credentialling Process is undertaken by the Trainee, however RACP, RANZCR and AANMS play a part too.

Step 1: Fellowship

Congratulations! You must be nearing the end of your training pathway, or ready to use the Medicare benefits, if you’re looking at Credentialling.

To be able to apply for Credentialling, you must have:

  1. A “Confirmation of Completion of Nuclear Medicine Training” (CCNMT) from the CJCT, and
  2. Be a Fellow of either RACP and/or RANZCR.

For most Trainees, their CCNMT and Fellowship will happen simultaneously.  For some Trainees, their CCNMT may occur months or years apart from becoming a Fellow.

To apply for CCNMT and Fellowship, make sure that:

  • RACP recognizes that you have completed ALL training requirements of your Advanced Training in Nuclear Medicine Training Pathway.
  • You have completed all of your other outstanding RACP or RANZCR training requirements.
  • Your RACP & RANZCR fees have been paid and are current.

Once you have completed all of the above and are ready to apply for CCNMT and Fellowship:

  1. Complete this form and submit it to… by…  Your application will be submitted to, and considered by, the CJCT at their 22nd November 2024 meeting.  The outcome of your application, “successfully completed” or “requires consultation”, will be advised to RACP and RANZCR.  Those who are deemed as “successfully completed” will receive a “Confirmation of Completion of Nuclear Medicine Training” from RACP DATE.  Those who “require consultation” will be contacted individually.
  2. Apply for Fellowship via RACP/RANZCR… by… Follow your College process.

Step 2: Sourcing of Credentials

Now that you have your “Confirmation of Completion of Nuclear Medicine Training” and your Fellowship Certificate & Letter, you can start to gather all of the following credentialed evidence needed to become a Credentialled Nuclear Medicine Specialist.

This stage can take 2-8 weeks, dependent on each organisation’s working times.  Be conscious of delays over Christmas and New Year, and that this is often the peak processing times for these organisations.

If you have any issues/rejections during this process, it’s best to reach out to either AHRA or Medicare first to determine the issue, and then RACP and/or RANZCR to assist.

You are required to have AHPRA registration as a consultant physician or specialist (radiologist) in Nuclear Medicine.

FORM: Applying for Registration and Graduate Registration (online), Registrations Forms (PDFs)

NEED:  Fellowship Certificate/Letter, Completion Letter, ID documents, Criminal History Checks, Curriculum Vitae and other documents.

TIMING:  If you have successfully submitted all relevant documentation, AHPRA aims to complete your application within 2 weeks.  However, you can commence this process up to three months before you are expected to complete all of your course requirements.

FEE:  Medical Board of Australia and/or Medical Radiation Practice Board

OUTCOME: AHPRA will provide a dated confirmation letter advising acceptance (and AHPRA Registration Number) or rejection of the application.

WHY:  Provider and prescriber numbers are required to claim under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

WHAT:  A separate application is required for each location you are working at.  Managed through HPOS/PRODA – Provider and Prescriber Numbers, Initial Provider Numbers, Additional Provider Numbers, Form HW019

NEED:  Fellowship Letter/Certificate, Completion Letter, AHPRA Registration Number, ID documents, and other documents.

TIMING:  The application will be processed within 2-4 weeks.

FEE:  None

OUTCOME:  Medicare will provide a confirmation letter advising the provider number, location and start date.

WHY: Medicare recognition as a specialist or consultant physician is required if you want to provide services to private patients that attract Medicare Benefits at the specialist or consultant physician rates.

WHAT: Application for recognition as a specialist or consultant physician form (HW077)

NEED:  Fellowship Certificate/Letter, Completion Letter, AHPRA Registration Number, Medicare Provider Number, ID documents, and other documents.

WHEN: Processed within 28 days of submission.  This application requires your Medicare Provider Number, however this application can be submitted at the same time as your Application for a Medicare Provider Number, and Medicare can process both together.

FEE:  None

OUTCOME: Medicare will provide a dated confirmation letter advising acceptance or rejection of the application.

WHY:  Nuclear Medicine Specialists must apply for, or vary, an existing “use licence” in relation to the use of unsealed radioactive material used in nuclear medicine and/or a computed tomography (CT) unit for attenuation correction and organ localisation.

WHAT: Each Australian state/territory has their own licensing body and application form.  All states, except for QLD fall under the Automatic Mutual Recognition Scheme (AMRS), which means your licence from one state will apply if you work in another state:

NEED:  Fellowship Letter, Completion Letter, AHPRA Registration Number, ID documents, and other documents as required by each state.

WHEN:  Dependent on each organisation, between 2-4 weeks.

FEE:  Yes – Refer to each organisation

OUTCOME:  The organisation should provide a dated confirmation letter advising acceptance or rejection of the application.

Step 3: Credentialling

Once you have all of the outcome letters/notifications credentialled from the above organisations:

  1. Complete the “Credentialling/Certification of Specialists in Nuclear Medicine – Including PET Use” form Australia Trained or Overseas Trained
  2. Pay the application fee of $110 and include proof of payment (details within the form)
  3. Package all of the above credentialed documents – include your name and document type within the file name.
  4. Email all of the above to education@aanms.org.au

What happens next:

  • AANMS processes your application and advise Medicare that you can be deemed a “Credentialed Nuclear Medicine Specialist” and will send you a letter confirming your Credentialled status (up to 1 week).
  • Medicare will update your details so that you can use the Nuclear Medicine benefit numbers (up to 2 weeks).
  • If you do not see any changes within Medicare within 2 weeks, please reach out to them directly, either via HPOS or Call

Step 4: PET Statutory Declaration

To be eligible to perform Positron Emission Tomography (PET) services, a provider must complete a statutory declaration that lists the provider number and Location Specific Practice Number (LSPN) of the diagnostic imaging practice.  A separate Stat Dec is required for EVERY PET location you work at.

WHY: To be recognised as a PET specialist and to bill or claim MBS items for any PET services.  A separate PET Stat Dec form is required for every PET location you work at.

WHAT: Positron emission tomography – statutory declaration form (HW064) , Claim Medicare benefits using your Location Specific Practice Number (LSPN)

NEED:  Credentialling to be completed, Medicare Provider Number for that location.

WHEN: Processed within 2-4 weeks

FEE:  None

OUTCOME: Medicare will provide a dated confirmation letter advising acceptance or rejection of the application.