The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency will monitor a new website enabling NIB customers to score the performance of Australian allied health practitioners.

The national regulator will review the health fund’s online service, Whitecoat at www.whitecoat.com.au, amid concerns the site could breach the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act which prohibits the use of testimonial advertising. Breaches of the Act carry a maximum penalty of $10,000.

The site, which is expected to go live at the end of June, has also come under fire for using Medicare Australia information to create its list of 165,000 allied health practitioners.

NIB is continuing to stand behind the website, which will be the first of its kind in Australia.

"Our legal advice is that it’s not a breach (of the Act)," NIB’s chief marketing officer Rhod McKensey said.

"We wouldn’t be going down this path if we thought it was a breach of that law."

The AHPRA has released a statement saying it has "patient safety at its heart" and will monitor the approach to using testimonials in relation to National Law.

NIB planned to list practitioners’ information based on a range of sources including Medicare data.

But media reports state Medicare has contacted the NIB, reminding it that Medicare information can only be used for verifying claims.

NIB would not confirm or deny the reports, instead releasing a statement saying it was working with Medicare, the government and healthcare professional associations to allay any concerns about the website.

"NIB will always comply with federal laws regarding the data and has the utmost concern to protect privacy," it stated.

"(NIB) strongly believes that Whitecoat will empower consumers by allowing them to make informed decisions about their health care."