Registration roadmap · Part 3 of 3
Which Medical Aids to Register With First, and How
Once your HPCSA registration and BHF practice number are in place, this covers the three administrator groups that get you recognised across every major scheme.
29 July 2026 · 7 min read
Prerequisites
Completed HPCSA registration (in your specific category — Psychologist, Registered Counsellor, or Psychometrist) and a BHF/PCNS practice number. The registration process below with each administrator is the same regardless of your HPCSA category. What differs by category is which tariff codes will actually be reimbursed — see the section below on checking code recognition before relying on any of these.
Key insight: you don't need 8 registrations, you need 3
South Africa's biggest medical schemes (Discovery Health, GEMS, Bonitas, Momentum, Medshield, Fedhealth, POLMED, Bankmed) are run by only three administrators. Registering with the administrator gets you recognised across every scheme it manages.
| Register with... | ...and you're covered for |
|---|---|
| Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd | Discovery Health Medical Scheme, Bankmed |
| Medscheme | Fedhealth, Medshield, POLMED, GEMS (own portal, same underlying system) |
| Momentum Health Solutions | Momentum Medical Scheme, Bonitas (since 1 June 2026) |
Recommended order: register with all three in parallel once your BHF number is issued — there's no dependency between them, only on having your practice number first.
The three administrators
1. Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd
Covers Discovery Health Medical Scheme + Bankmed
Practice Registration Form: available via the Health Professional Zone at discovery.co.za → Tools → Patient management → Forms and formularies. Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd, registration number 1997/013480/07, is an authorised financial services provider and medical scheme administrator — this single registration also covers Bankmed, since Bankmed is administered by Discovery Health Administrators. Documents typically required: your BHF practice number, certified copy of your ID, signed letterhead confirming practice details, and a completed Web Access form for portal access to claims/authorisations.
2. Medscheme
Covers Fedhealth, Medshield, POLMED, and GEMS's claims/contributions processing
Provider Zone / registration portal: medscheme.com/login/provider-zone. Healthcare Provider Relations department: medscheme.com/products-and-services/healthcare-provider-relations. General switchboard: +27 11 671 2000. Provider registration queries are routed through the Provider Zone portal rather than a single central email.
For GEMS specifically (own portal, same underlying system): register a Practice/Web user account at admin.medscheme.co.za/2013/GEMS — select "Create Account" → "Provider" → enter your BHF practice number and validate. GEMS Service Provider Call Centre: 0860 436 777 · Fax: 0861 00 GEMS (4367) · Email: enquiries@gems.gov.za · Postal: Private Bag X782, Cape Town.
3. Momentum Health Solutions
Covers Momentum Medical Scheme + Bonitas (from 1 June 2026)
Provider Portal (registration, forms, tariffs, provider guides per scheme): provider.momentumhealth.co.za. Postal: Momentum Health Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Parc Du Cap, 6 Mispel Road, Bellville, 7535; PO Box 4313, Bellville, 7535. Telephone: 021 673 1800 · Fax: 021 413 2450. For network-specific applications, email the completed form to network@momentum.co.za or fax to 021 673 1820 (feedback typically within 7–14 days).
Since Bonitas only transferred to Momentum Health Solutions in June 2026 — ending a 43-year partnership with Medscheme — if you had an existing Bonitas practice number under Medscheme, check via the Momentum provider portal whether it carried over automatically or needs re-confirmation.
Important: check tariff code recognition before relying on any of these
Being "registered" with an administrator does not automatically guarantee your sessions will be reimbursed — recognition depends on your specific HPCSA category, since each category is restricted to different tariff/procedure codes.
| Registered Counsellor (practice type 81) | Restricted to Z-codes only — not psychologist or psychometry codes |
|---|---|
| Psychologist (any subcategory) | Broader code set, including therapy/consultation codes specific to psychologists |
| Psychometrist | Restricted to assessment/psychometric codes relevant to psychometry |
Before advertising that you accept a particular scheme, confirm with each administrator/scheme:
- Whether your category's codes are recognised and reimbursed under the member's specific benefit option — many schemes pay Registered Counsellor and allied-health sessions from day-to-day/savings benefits rather than risk benefits, and some cap the number of sessions covered per year regardless of category
- Whether you need to be listed on a specific allied health/counselling/psychology network before claims will actually pay out, rather than just holding a valid practice number
- That your BHF practice number reflects your correct HPCSA category and discipline code, since this determines which tariff codes will be accepted — a mismatch here is one of the most common reasons claims get rejected
See the companion scope-of-practice reference for how each category's typical focus maps onto claims eligibility.
Suggested order of operations
- 1HPCSA registration confirmed and category-specific registration number in hand
- 2BHF/PCNS practice number applied for and issued (allow 2–3 weeks)
- 3Register with Discovery Health, Medscheme, and Momentum Health Solutions in parallel
- 4Follow up specifically with GEMS's separate portal if you expect government-employee clients
- 5Call each administrator's provider line to confirm your category's claims codes are recognised before advertising acceptance of that scheme to clients