Books and publications
MEDICAL BILLS MADE EASY
12 Essential Steps to Get the Most from Medicare and Private Health, Save Money and Dodge Scams
Confused by Medicare? Paying too much for private health insurance? Wondering if that medical bill was even legal? You’re not alone – and this book is here to change that.
Written by Margaret Faux – Australia’s leading expert in Medicare billing, a nurse-turned-lawyer who has processed millions of medical bills over her four decade career and has a PhD on the topic – Medical Bills Made Easy is your essential step-by-step guide to understanding the system, protecting yourself from billing traps, and getting the healthcare you deserve without being ripped off.
Packed with real-life examples, myth-busting insights, and practical tools, this book empowers everyday Australians to take control of their healthcare costs – whether you’re dealing with Medicare, private insurance, or just trying to get answers.
Knowledge is power. And in healthcare, it could save you thousands.
About the author
Margaret Faux is a nurse-turned-lawyer and Australia's leading authority on Medicare claiming and compliance.
With over 40 years of experience in healthcare – from hospital wards to courtrooms – Margaret has seen every angle of the system. She holds a PhD in Medicare law, runs a medical billing company, and has spent her career fighting for fairness, transparency, and better access to care.
Margaret is a passionate advocate for Australian consumers, known for exposing billing scams, challenging misinformation, and helping people understand their rights. Her mission is simple: to make the complex world of Medicare and private health insurance make sense – and to help you avoid paying a cent more than you should.
Featured publications
Medicare Thesis
Claiming and Compliance under the Medicare Benefits Schedule: A Critical Examination of Medical Practitioner Experiences, Perceptions, Attitudes and Knowledge
Integrity Report
Dr. Simon Peck
Spinal Surgery Medical Claims Payment Integrity Report can be downloaded from the Synapse Medical website resources.
Latest News
More articles and latest news can be read from the Synapse Medical website News page.
Academic publications
Margaret Faux, Damien Linnane and Anthony Levin: Section 19(2) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 Prevents Prisoners Accessing Medicare; Fact or Fiction? Published in the Journal of Law and Medicine (2024) 31 JLM 624.
Margaret Faux, Jon Adams, Simran Dahiya, Jon Wardle: Wading through molasses: a qualitative examination of the experiences, perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of Australian medical practitioners regarding medical billing. Published in PLoS One in January 2022. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262211
Faux, M., Adams, J. & Wardle, J: Educational needs of medical practitioners about medical billing: a scoping review of the literature. Published in Human Resources for Health, Hum Resour Health 19, 84 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00631-x
MA Faux: Frenetic law making during the COVID-19 pandemic: the impact on doctors, patients and the Medicare system. Published in the Australian Public Law Blog April 2020. https://www.auspublaw.org/blog/2020/04/frenetic-law-making-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-the-impact-on-doctors-patients-and-the-medicare-system.
MA Faux, JL Wardle and J Adams: Medicare Billing, Law and Practice: Complex, Incomprehensible and Beginning to Unravel, June 2019, Published in the Journal of Law and Medicine (2019) 27 JLM 66, November 2019.
MA Faux, JL Wardle, Angelica G Thompson-Butel and J Adams: Who teaches medical billing? A national cross-sectional survey of Australian medical education stakeholders.
BMJ Open July 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020712.
MA Faux, JL Wardle and J Adams: No payments, co-payments and faux payments: Are medical practitioners adequately equipped to manage Medicare claiming and compliance? Internal Medicine Journal February 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.12665.