Cutting Edge supports claiming for Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistants (PNSAs) known as Nurse Assistants for short. As the name describes, these are nurses who work as surgical assistants.
Some but not all PNSAs are also registered as Nurse Practitioners (NPs), which gives them access to Medicare provider numbers and MBS items for certain services.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PNSAs WHO ARE NOT NPs DON'T HAVE PROVIDER NUMBERS, SO CAN ONLY DO PRIVATE BILLING TO PATIENTS/SURGEONS/HOSPITALS.
The terms PNSA and NP are not synonymous, but there is overlap between the two.
From 1 November 2025, Medicare has introduced item numbers to be used by Nurse Practitioners who are PNSAs assisting at surgical procedures.
Cutting Edge will correctly determine the assist item and calculate fees based off the surgeon's items.
Nurse Assistant claims can be submitted electronically via Cutting Edge.
Requesting a new Provider number: NP's need to complete a HW088
Registering an existing Provider Number with Cutting Edge Software: NP's need to complete a HW027
Item Number | Description (1 Nov 2025)
| Medicare Fee
(1 Nov 2025)
|
93718 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at any operation mentioned in an item in Group T8 that includes "(Assist.)" for which the fee does not exceed $651.30 or at a series or combination of operations mentioned in an item in Group T8 that include "(Assist.)" for which the aggregate fee does not exceed $651.30
| $100.65 |
93719 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at any operation mentioned in an item in Group T8 that includes "(Assist.)" for which the fee exceeds $651.30 or at a series or combination of operations mentioned in an item in Group T8 that include "(Assist.)" for which the aggregate fee exceeds $651.30
| Derived
1/5 Surgeon's fee
|
93720 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at a birth involving Caesarean section
| $145.45 |
93721 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at a series or combination of operations that include "(Assist.)" and assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at a birth involving Caesarean section
| Derived |
93722 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at any interventional obstetric procedure covered by items 16606, 16609, 16612, 16615 and 16627
| Derived |
93723 | Assistance by a participating nurse practitioner at cataract and intraocular lens surgery covered by item 42698, 42701, 42702, 42704, 42705 or 42707, when performed in association with services covered by item 42551 to 42569, 42653, 42656, 42725, 42746, 42749, 42752, 42776 or 42779
| $317.80 |
93724 | Assistance at cataract and intraocular lens surgery by a participating nurse practitioner, if patient has:
(a) total loss of vision, including no potential for central vision, in the fellow eye; or (b) one of the following in the fellow eye:
(i) vitreous loss; (ii) rupture of posterior capsule; (iii) loss of nuclear material into the vitreous; (iv) intraocular haemorrhage; (v) intraocular infection (endophthalmitis): (vi) cystoid macular oedema; (vii) corneal decompensation; (viii) retinal detachment; or
(c) pseudo exfoliation, subluxed lens, iridodonesis, phacodonesis, retinal detachment, corneal scarring, pre-existing uveitis, bound down miosed pupil, nanophthalmos, spherophakia, Marfan's syndrome, homocysteinuria or previous blunt trauma causing intraocular damage
| $209.75 |
Funds currently accepting claims from Nurse Practitioners:
BUPA, AHSA, AUF, HCF, NIB