Telehealth Awareness Month
13 October 2023
This October is Telehealth Awareness Month, where we celebrate the wins in providing virtual care using telehealth services, particularly during the pandemic. We’ve seen benefits ranging from improved access to healthcare and equity, reduced travel, expense and time away from home to improved continuity of care. In supporting practices to remain invested in virtual care services, we’ve provided a few key considerations for telehealth.
Verbal assignment of benefit arrangements for telehealth services
Under the Health Insurance Act 1973, patients must assign their Medicare benefit to the provider when receiving MBS bulk bill telehealth services. During a telehealth consult, verbal assignment of benefit must be accompanied by an electronically approved form. The GP must provide the patient with a copy of the form via email or text, and be kept on file for at least two years.
For more information about this requirement and to access the approved forms, visit the RACGP website.
New MBS Telehealth Bulk Bill Items
From Wednesday, 1 November 2023, new MBS telehealth bulk bill items will attract triple the amount of existing standard bulk billing incentive payments for patients under 16 years of age or Commonwealth concession card holders;
- Bulk billing incentive payments will be tripled for MBS Level B telehealth video (or telephone) general attendance consultations.
- If the patient is enrolled in MyMedicare, practices will be able to access the triple bulk billing incentive for additional service items for MBS level C, D and E telehealth video consults.
Healthdirect Free Telehealth Video Platform for Practices
GPs can utilise Healthdirect Video Call, a web-based, secure platform to facilitate telehealth video consults. Healthdirect complies with Australian government privacy policies with health-grade security, privacy, and data protection at all times.
To register or to find out more, visit the telehealth page on our website.
RACGP ‘Guide to providing telephone and video consultations in general practice’
Access RACGP’s website to read and/or download telehealth guides to assist clinicians with clinical, administrative and technical considerations for providing telehealth consults to patients.
Telepsychiatry Services in the Nepean Blue Mountains Region
We are piloting a new telepsychiatry service until December 2023. We have commissioned Dokotela to provide these services across our region. Dokotela provides access to over 40 experienced psychiatrists with various specialties who work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals. Eligible patients will have their appointments delivered via telehealth through secure video conferencing.
To learn more about this service and how to refer patients, visit the Telepsychiatry page on our website.
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