Telehealth which was introduced temporarily in response to the COVID19 pandemic is now set to be a permanent solution to the existent barriers to healthcare service accessibility.

Poised for Significant Growth

Physical separation between professionals within Medical Professionals, Healthcare practices and patients were encouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist limit the danger of virus spread in the community.

The estimated growth rates across all sectors of digital healthcare are astonishing. Since March 2020, more than 16 million people have received over 80 million COVID19 telehealth consultations under the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Telehealth was mostly used during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and healthcare providers were able to receive and provide healthcare safely as a result. 92% of telemedicine users in Australia had experienced telemedicine for the first time during the pandemic according to Capterra’s survey. 84% of first-time users stated that they used telemedicine for consultation unrelated to symptoms of the virus itself. Telehealth can make use of synchronous communications tools like phone or video conferencing, as well as asynchronous communications, messaging, and monitoring.

Currently, around 89,000 healthcare service providers have adapted to providing medical care through online consultations.

General Practitioners & Medical Practitioners

In accordance with a survey conducted in Australia among general practitioners, around 96 per cent of respondents said they provided care to their patients using the telephone during the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. Before the pandemic, only 13 per cent of respondents had offered care using the telephone.

Health of the Nation 2020 suggests that the introduction of MBS-supported telehealth in general practice was a pleasant advancement during the pandemic with both patients and GPs reporting high rates of satisfaction with telehealth. Telehealth through phone and video has complemented face-to-face services as clinically appropriate, improving patient access to healthcare and ensuring general practice is supported to provide modernised care.

Specialist Telehealth Services

From the 1^st of January 2022, patient access to specialist telehealth services will be supported by ongoing Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) arrangements. Consequently, patients across all areas of Australia will continue to be able to access specialist attendances performed either in person (face to face) or by video.

Government Support towards the Transition

The Australian government has allocated a budget of $106 million over four years to support the provision of telehealth services to facilitate a flexible delivery of healthcare services.

Earlier in 2021, the government extended its provision of telehealth services from June until the yearend. It has infused A$114 million ($88 million) more funding for this purpose under the 2021-22 Budget. The latest telehealth budget is part of a A$308.6 million ($220 million) investment in the country's primary care system.

Based on the MBS Factsheet, Telemedicine provided by GPs and Other Medical Practitioners (OMP) introduced on the 1^st of July 2021 including short and longer telephone items will continue to be available from the 1^st of January 2022.

Hence, general practitioners, medical practitioners, nurse practitioners, participating midwives, allied health providers and dental practitioners (oral and maxillofacial surgery services) will continue to be able to provide virtual medical consultation services with the Health Department’s newly introduced changes.

Changes in Telehealth Arrangements for GPs and OMPs

·       A new extended telephone consultation item for attendances 20 minutes or longer for patients in rural and remote communities (Modified Monash 6 and 7 regions) will be introduced.

·       The COVID-19 GP ‘hotspot’ telephone items for consultations longer than 20 minutes will cease.

·       Patients who are subject to COVID-19 public health orders requiring isolation or quarantine will continue to have unrestricted access to MBS telehealth services, without needing to demonstrate an established clinical relationship with their telehealth provider.

·       Specific GP nicotine and smoking cessation services including telehealth will be extended to 31 December 2023. GP sexual and reproductive health services and non-directive pregnancy support counselling will be extended to 30 June 2023. These services do not require an established clinical relationship when provided by telehealth.

·       MBS telehealth items will be included in the calculation of the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) and the Workforce Incentive Program - Practice Stream (WIP) payments.

·       Medicare compliance rules will be updated to include telephone and video services in the prescribed pattern of practice (the 80/20 rule), with a new ‘30/20’ rule for GP telephone services.

·       Superseded pre-COVID telehealth and associated items will be removed from the MBS to avoid multiple different MBS items for the same service. This includes GP and OMP mental health consultations and general attendances by video. GP and OMP patient-end support items linked to pre-COVID medical specialist and consultant physician telehealth services will also be removed from 1 January 2021.

·       Nurse practitioner, midwifery, nursing, and other allied health telehealth consultations will continue without change, with the exception of patient-end support services by nurse practitioners and midwives linked to pre-COVID medical specialist and consultant physician.

Who is Eligible to Receive MBS Telehealth Items?

MBS Telehealth items are available for Telehealth Service Providers for a broad range of medical consultations. These services are accessible for all Australians given that they have an established clinical relationship with a General Practitioner, Other Medical Practitioner, or a Medical Practice so that person-centred primary healthcare with better health outcomes is provided.

According to the Department of Health, a medical practitioner with an established clinical relationship:

• has provided at least one face-to-face service to the patient in the 12 months preceding the telehealth attendance; or

• is located at a medical practice where the patient has had at least one face-to-face service arranged by that practice in the 12 months preceding the telehealth attendance (including services performed by another doctor located at the practice, or a service performed by another health professional located at the practice, such as a practice nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker); or

• is a participant in the Approved Medical Deputising Service program, and the Approved Medical Deputising Service provider employing the medical practitioner has a formal agreement with a medical practice that has provided at least one face-to-face service to the patient in the 12 months preceding the telehealth attendance.

However, the established relationship requirement does not apply to mental health services, children under the age of 12 months, patients of Medical Practitioners at an Aboriginal Medical Service and a few other categories specified in the MBS changes Factsheet.

For more information on changes and full item descriptors, visit the MBS website or email askMBS@health.gov.au. To receive guidance about Medicare billing, claiming, payments, or obtaining a provider number, visit the Services Australia website or contact Services Australia on the Provider Enquiry Line – 13 21 50.

Get Started with Virtual Consultations

Doctors seeking to get started with real-time telehealth consultations should join a practice that ensures the privacy and confidentiality of patients by using appropriate technology. Medical practices should provide comprehensible instructions for doctors as well as patients in order to accommodate a successful digital consultation with minimum inconveniences.

Medfuture Medical Recruitment Agency having partnered with medical practices across the states of Australia are able to provide rewarding telehealth vacancies for GPs, Medical Practitioners, Psychologists, and many other specialists.

Are you looking for your next telehealth opportunity? Email your job requirements along with your updated resume to feed@medfuture.com.au and you can expect a quality employment service with multiple telehealth job options in no time. To Speak to a recruitment consultant, call 1300 633 388.

A comprehensive list of telehealth vacancies can be viewed at the Medfuture job board with new positions added daily.