Go secure is the official system Ontario uses to access Ontario Public Services online. It’s where you have access to the Medical Claims Electronic Data Transfer (MC EDT) system that allows you to share data with the Ministry.
You cannot bill in Ontario without first setting up these 2 accounts.
If you plan on submitting claims electronically, you will also need to designate a software system that is authorized to upload and download files for you.
The Ministry of Health Registration Letter
In order to complete your Go Secure/MC EDT account setup you need to have already received a registration letter from the Ministry of Health.
This contains two ‘unique identifiers‘ or codes, that you’ll need to enter during the setup process.
This letter is sent to you after you register for an OHIP billing number. If you don’t have this letter and you already have a valid billing number, contact the Ministry of Health by email or phone: 1-800 262-6524 to have one re-issued.
Once you have your registration letter, and the unique identifiers, follow along with the steps below in order to complete your registration with OHIP:
- Set up Your GO Secure Account
- Account Setup for MC EDT
- Assign a Designee
- Health Card Validation (HCV)
1. Set up Your GO Secure Account
As briefly mentioned above, if you’re a doctor working in Ontario, under the fee-for-service model, you need to have a GO Secure account.
Go Secure is an Ontario government owned website and web service that allows you to access the medical claims electronic data transfer (MC EDT) system that transmits electronic files to the ministry (i.e., your OHIP Claims).
Since your claims contain confidential patient information having a Go Secure account is mandatory.
***You must register for a GO Secure account to be able to enrol and access MC EDT.
Your Go Secure account is also where you’ll receive your remittance advice (RA) report and a Claim Error Report. These reports summarize which claims have been approved, paid with adjustment, rejected or have errors that need to be changed before getting paid.
How to Set up your GO Secure Account in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1: Go to the GO Secure login page.
Click ‘Don’t have a Go Secure account? Register Now’.
Step 2: Add Your Personal Details
Step 3: Create Your Password
Try to create a unique password that you don’t use for anything else (and don’t forget to write it down)!
Step 4: Accept the Terms & Conditions
Step 5: Email Confirmation
At this point you should receive an email. Open the email from Go Secure and click on the link to confirm your email address. You’ll be asked to log-in to your Go Secure account again. Enter the details you created in the previous step. Then, you need to validate your email address, just follow the instructions to do so.
2. Account Setup for MC EDT
While Go Secure is the secure website that allows claim transfers between you and the ministry, the MC EDT system is the secure method of actually transferring those claims.
Once you’ve set up your Go Secure account you can enrol in MC EDT.
How to Set up MC EDT in 3 Easy Steps
Step 1: New User
Head over to the Go Secure Login and sign in with the password and username you just created in step 1.
If haven’t ever set up a MC EDT account before, leave the selection as ‘New User’. If you’re migrating from the old MC EDT system, select ‘Migrating EDT User’. then continue. In most cases you’ll be selecting ‘New User’.
If you aren’t sure, contact us here and we’ll help you.
Step 2: Enter Your Unique Identifiers
These are contained in the letter that was mailed to you by the Ministry of Health.
Step 3: Acceptable Use Policy
Click the ‘Accept‘ button to accept the terms of use for the system.
Your registration is complete!
3. Designate your Billing Service
Now that you are registered with Go Secure and MC EDT, you need to connect it to a billing software who can submit claims and download OHIP reports for you.
***If you don’t designate a 3rd party software system, you need to log into Go Secure each time you create a claim and manually upload/download files. However, you will still need to use a 3rd party software system to create the correct claim file for submission, as the file needs to meet certain technical specifications.
Note: You can have several designees, for example if you’re billing in multiple places. Adding a new designee won’t affect any existing billing arrangements you have.
Setting up your Go Secure Designee is a 2 part process:
(if you’re using another billing system the steps will be the same, just substitute the name Dr. Bill for the name of the billing software you’re using).
- Part A: Add Dr. Bill as a Designee on your Go Secure Account (Steps 1 through 4)
- Part B: Authorize Dr. Bill to submit claims on your behalf (Steps 5 & 6)
Part A: Designee Maintenance
Step 1: Designee Maintenance
Log into your Go Secure account and click on Designee Maintenance (Add, Remove, Update).
Step 2: Add a Designee
Click the ‘Add Designees’ button.
Step 3: Add Designee Details
Add Dr. Bill as a Designee using the email address ohip@dr-bill.ca.
Step 4: Confirm Designee
You’ll be asked to confirm the Designee you just added. Just click the option as highlighted below.
Part B: Authorize Dr. Bill to Submit Claims
Give Dr. Bill Permission to Submit Claims
After you complete Step 4, an email is sent to our team by OHIP. We have to confirm your request to add us as a Designee.
If you’ve initiated your request during normal business hours this happens within an hour. On evenings & weekends it will take longer, but no more than 24 hours.
After we confirm your request OHIP we will send you an email notifying you that we’ve completed the designee process. Click on the link in this email and log back into your Go Secure account and complete Steps 5 & 6 below.
Step 5: Manage Designee Permissions
Follow the link in your email back to the GOSecure website and navigate back to Designee Maintenance. You’ll see a table with a list of Designated Accounts. Click on the email address ‘ohip@dr-bill.ca’. This links you to the next page.
Step 6: Grant Dr. Bill Permission to Submit Your Claims
You now need to give us permission to submit claims on your behalf. Choose the Select All button, then Save at the bottom of the page.
Step 7. Final Confirmation
You’re done! Our system will send you a final confirmation email indicating your connection with us is complete. This email is sent once a day, so it can take up to 24 hours to receive it.
If you don’t receive it, get in touch with us by initiating a chat using the chat button in the bottom-right of the screen (on the web app).
Or on your smartphone, tap ‘Account‘ then ‘Get Help‘ and the chat widget will launch. We’ll respond exactly the same way.
Health Card Validation (HCV)
You are enrolled in HCV when you receive your OHIP Billing number (details are outline in the registration letter that contains your MC EDT unique identifiers).
Enrolment simply means you’re given a unique PIN which you can use to call the 1-800 line to verify if your patient’s health card is valid.
We understand that calling a toll-free number every time you see a patient is very time consuming, that’s why at Dr. Bill we run eligibility checks on each new patient you add. If they’re not insured we let you know with an Alert.
If you have any questions about setting up your Go Secure account don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll help walk you troubleshoot any problems you might be having.
Looking to Maximize your Billing and automate claim submission? Check out the Ultimate OHIP Billing Guide that takes you through every step to successfully bill in Ontario.
