Telehealth Information

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HealthDirect Video Call - you can find out more and sign up for our Healthdirect Video Call platform here.

From 13 March 2020 and extending until 31 December 2021, temporary MBS telehealth items have been made available to help reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 and provide protection for patients and health care providers.
 

The latest Medicare COVID-19 Temporary MBS Telehealth Services factsheet is now available here for these temporary MBS Telehealth items through to 31 December 2021.
 

Other Resources


HealthPathways Resources

Further information is also available on the HealthPathway COVID-19 Telehealth and HealthPathway  Electronic Prescribing . To access HealthPathways please email the HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wapha.org.au   


COVID-19 Telehealth Information FAQs

What is the difference between telehealth and phone consultations?

In simple terms, telehealth describes audio and visual (like a video-conference) while a phone consultation only has the audio. There are benefits and challenges with both approaches, but the biggest benefit with telehealth is that you can see the patient and pick up on a lot of non-verbal information.

For some practices, phone consults will be more appropriate and safer for the patient and practitioner. Many of the principles behind getting set up to use telehealth are the same for phone consults. Check out our Becoming Telehealth Enabled - Checklist to help you get started.

What telehealth platform should I use?

There is no single mandated platform that practices have to use. Practices can choose from a number of platforms, including: Practices must ensure that the telehealth platform used meets requirements for confidentiality and privacy.

HealthDirect is currently providing free acess to its telehealth service, Video Call, through WAPHA. You can register to use Video Call using the form here.

My practice is moving to telehealth, what do we need to think about?

A comprehensive guide is available from the Australasian Telehealth Society here and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has a telehealth guide available here. To get you started, below are some questions you and your practice can start with:
  • What platform you will use for the consultations?
  • How the practice will manage booking telehealth appointments?
  • How will you determine which patients are suitable for a telehealth appointment?
  • How you will access your practice’s clinical information system, so that you have access to the patient’s records and document the consultation appropriately?
  • Have you informed our Medical Indemnity Insurance Provider?
  • How will you verify the identity of the patient?
  • How will you obtain consent from the patient & protect their privacy?
  • How will you keep appropriate records?
  • How will we provide prescriptions or pathology request forms (if required)?

What documentation do I need to keep for telehealth or phone consults?

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners advises that GPs should adhere to the same record-keeping standards as for physical health consultations and include additional information such as:
  • that the consultation was conducted by videoconference (with the patient’s consent)
  • the patient-end location of the video consultation
  • who was present (other than the GP and distant specialist) and the patient’s consent for such parties to be present
  • the rationale for a video consultation instead of a physical consultation
  • which clinician is responsible for which specified follow-up actions
  • the recording of any still or moving images during the video consultation, the patient’s written consent for such recording and the location of the recording as part of the patient’s health record (whether stored by the practice or a third party)
  • any period of time a support clinician was not present at the patient end (eg to allow the patient to have a private discussion with the specialist)
  • any technical malfunctions during the videoconference (eg poor sound or image) that may have compromised the safety or quality of the video consultation.
RACGP also advises to write up the notes as soon after the consultation as possible. This will facilitate safe and effective continuity of care for the patient.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has a telehealth guide available here.
 

What do I need to think about in terms of patient privacy and confidentiality?

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners advises that information security and privacy considerations in relation to telehealth video consultations include:
  • the security of the videoconferencing interface (software and hardware)
  • security of patient information (encryption and use of secure messaging)
  • storage of any video recordings and still images
  • the visual and audio privacy of the practice’s teleconferencing room.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has a telehealth guide available here.
 

I work at a primary care or allied health service, but not a general practice, and I want to use telehealth. How can I get started?

The principles of providing a telehealth service in general practice and other primary care services are essentially the same. A comprehensive guide is available from the Australasian Telehealth Society here. To get you started, below are some questions you and your practice can start with:
  • What platform you will use for the consultations?
  • How the service manage booking telehealth appointments?
  • How will you determine which patients are suitable for a telehealth appointment?
  • How you will access your clinical information system, so that you have access to the patient’s records and document the consultation appropriately?
  • Have we informed our Medical Indemnity Insurance Provider?
  • How will we verify the identity of the patient?
  • How will we obtain consent from the patient & protect their privacy?
  • How will we keep appropriate records?
  • How will we provide prescriptions or pathology request forms (if required)?
You might also find the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners telehealth guide useful. It can be accessed here.

For some allied health providers, there are temporary MBS items available for focused psychological strategies. For more information, check out our MBS COVID-19 Telehealth Services Mental Health fact sheet or visit MBS online: http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Factsheet-TempBB.

MBS Telehealth Services

From 13 March 2020 and extending until 31 December 2021, temporary MBS telehealth items have been made available to help reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 and provide protection for patients and health care providers.


Note: This information is general in nature. It is ultimately the responsibility of treating practitioners to use their professional judgment to determine the most clinically appropriate services to provide, and then to ensure that any services billed to Medicare fully meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the legislation.
 

Fact Sheets

Quick Guides

Other Resources

 

HealthPathways Resources

Further information is also available on the HealthPathway COVID-19  MBS Items

To access HealthPathways please email the HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wapha.org.au   




COVID-19 MBS Telehealth Services FAQs

What are the eligibility criteria for the MBS Telehealth items?

The temporary telehealth and phone COVID-19 MBS items can be used for all patients. However, the service must meet the definition of a telehealth attendance or phone attendance (check the definitions below).

As of 20 July 2020, all temporary COVID-19 phone and telehealth items for GPs and OMPs (with the exception of the after hours items and bulk billing incentives) can only be used by the patient’s ‘usual medical practitioner’.

You must also ensure that you are claiming the items correctly by checking the full item descriptions available from http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Home

What is the Medicare definition of a telehealth and phone attendance?

  • telehealth attendance means a professional attendance by video conference where the health practitioner:
       - has the capacity to provide the full service through this means safely and in accordance with professional standards; and
       - is satisfied that it is clinically appropriate to provide the service to the patient; and
       - maintains a visual and audio link with the patient; and
       - is satisfied that the software and hardware used to deliver the service meets the applicable laws for security and privacy.
 
  • phone attendance means a professional attendance by telephone where the health practitioner:
       - has the capacity to provide the full service through this means safely and in accordance with professional standards; and
       - is satisfied that it is clinically appropriate to provide the service to the patient; and
       - maintains an audio link with the patient.

Do I have to bulk bill the COVID-19 MBS items?

Since 1 October 2020, GPs and OMPs have been able to choose to bulk-bill or patient bill. The temporary doubling of the bulk billing incentive and items 10981/10982 lso ceased on 1 October 2020.

Are there telehealth or phone items available for our practice nurse?

Yes. As of 20 April 2020, there are now items available for practice nurses. These items are equivalent to the existing face-to-face items (10987 and 10997).
Read more about these items in our Nursing and Allied Health Quick Guide.

What are the rules for claiming both a COVID-19 telehealth or telephone MBS item and a face-to-face attendance item for the same patient, on the same day?

Providers may claim both a COVID-19 telehealth or telephone item and a face-to-face attendance item for the same patient on the same day providing that the subsequent attendance is not a continuation of the first, both are clinically necessary and the requirements of both items are fully met.
 
Where a service is a continuation of previous service on the same day only one item is payable. For example, where a single service comprises a telehealth and face-to-face component, the appropriate item to bill is determined by the type of service which took the greater amount of time. The time for the shorter attendance can be added to the longer for claiming purposes. In addition, where a service is a continuation of a previous service on the same day, the patient should be seen by the same practitioner. The only exception to this rule is where the patient is required to be seen urgently and the second attendance cannot be delayed, and the original practitioner is unavailable. 
 
All health professionals should ensure they document the consultation/service appropriately to comply with MBS requirements. 

Note: Medicare benefits are not payable where a service is a health screening service, unless the exception has been made by the Minister. Guidance on the prohibition on the use of the MBS items for screening purposes is available at: http://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&q=GN.13.33&qt=noteID.

What is the definition of ‘usual medical practitioner’ for these items?

 For the temporary COVID-19 MBS items, a patient’s ‘usual medical practitioner’ is defined as a medical practitioner (other than a specialist or consultant physician) who:
  1. has provided at least one face to face service to the patient in the past 12 months; or
  2. is located at a medical practice at which at least one service to the patient was provided, or arranged by, in the past 12 months; or
  3. is a participant in the Approved Medical Deputising Service (AMDS) program if:
    i. the AMDS provider has a formal agreement in place with a medical practice to provide services to its patients; and
    ii. the medical practice has provided, or arranged, at least one service to the patient in the past 12 months.

You must also ensure that you are claiming the items correctly by checking the full item descriptions available from http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Home.
 

Are there any exceptions to the ‘usual medical practitioner requirement’?

Yes. The requirement that the items only be used by the patient’s ‘usual medical practitioner’ applies to the GP and OMP items, and does not apply to:
  • a person who is under the age of 12 months
  • a person who is experiencing homelessness
  • a person who is in a COVID-19 impacted area
  • a person receiving an urgent after-hours service (in unsociable hours),
  • a person who receives the service from a medical practitioner located at an Aboriginal Medical Service or an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.
A person experiencing homeless is described as a person who does not have suitable accommodation alternatives and are considered homeless if their current living arrangement:
(a)  is in a dwelling that is inadequate; or
(b)  has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or
(c)  does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations.
You must also ensure that you are claiming the items correctly by checking the full item descriptions available from http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Home.
For further information around changes to the PIP QI incentive  inline with COVID-19 please visit the PIP QI Tool Kit page.


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